


Of War and Tinder

by BellaRosa2187



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Archaeology, Corgi BB-8, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Implied Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Matchmaker Hux, Mental Illness, Online Dating, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Sneaking Around, dating apps, honestly the tags make this sound angstier than it really is!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-04-01 07:18:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13993236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaRosa2187/pseuds/BellaRosa2187
Summary: Finn and Rose are taking an archaeology course with Professor Holdo, Poe's advisor, and end up with Phasma for a T.A.Rey matches with Ben on Tinder, whose profile was set up by Hux as a prank. How will this all play out?Complete!  Epilogue now added!





	1. It's Good to See You Again

**Author's Note:**

> "He was clearly fit, and he struck her as rather handsome in his own way with his strong, dark features and intense brown eyes. Raising an eyebrow, she read his description. "Medieval Indiana Jones. Aspiring knight. Darth Vader fanboy. Looking for a woman who can kick my ass in sword fighting and isn't afraid to tell it like it is." "
> 
> First attempt at a Star Wars fanfic! I started writing this as a way to release some stress from work. Due to a heavy workload, I will probably only update about once a week or every other week. But, do feel free to leave feedback, especially when it comes to characterization! Rating is due to strong language and sexual innuendo, but there's nothing explicit in terms of violence and sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, its dialogue, nor do I own any other pop culture references in here that may appear. Also, the dark side coffee t-shirt is real. Brisco sells it on Amazon.

  **Chapter 1: "It's Good to See You Again"**  
 

Rose panted as she reached Supremacy Hall for her archaeology class. Her legs were cramping due to her sprinting from the other side of campus, where the science and engineering buildings were located. Her lab orientation took much longer than anticipated, but she did not want to be late to class on the first day of the fall semester.

A pat on her shoulder startled her and she shrieked as she turned around to face a tall man with playful mischief in his brown eyes. "Finn! Why did you do that to me?" she exclaimed as she teasingly swatted his arm.

Finn laughed as he pulled his petite girlfriend into a bear hug, "Finally caught you today. Is Rey joining us or not? She hasn't answered any texts today."

"She forgot her phone at home and neither of us had time to get it. I saw her in the aerospace engineering class earlier. She told me to tell you and Poe that she has a lab conflict with the course and can't take it with us this semester after all," Rose responded as they walked into the lecture hall and settled into their seats.

Rose and her roommate, Rey, were both engineering students at Coruscant University, and Rey introduced her adoptive brother, Finn, to her last year. Poe, Rey and Finn's brother, was one of the Teaching Assistants for this archaeology course. Poe had been rather persistent in encouraging the three of them to take the course this semester.

The lecture hall fell quiet as a slender woman with bright purple hair walked onto the podium and turned on the projector to display a powerpoint displaying the course's title: "Archaeology 205: Archaeologies of War and Conflict." She began to speak, "Good afternoon everyone. Welcome back. I hope you all had a good summer. I'm Professor Amilyn Holdo..."

After introducing herself, she introduced the three graduate teaching assistants, who each stood up and waved as she called their names, "...Phasma Parnassos focuses on the frontier armies of the Roman Empire through Late Antiquity, Ben Solo studies the military material culture of the Medieval Mediterranean, and Poe Dameron, who is also my student, is about to begin his dissertation discussing portrayals and material evidence of Mayan warfare..." She continued on with the course introduction and lecture.

At the end of the class, after most of the students departed, Holdo noticed a couple, a small Asian woman and an African American man wearing matching Hogwarts-themed shirts, talking with Poe about weekend plans. She recognized the man as being one of the undergraduates in the anthropology department, but she could not remember his name.

She caught Poe's attention, and he greeted her, "Dr. Holdo, this is my brother, Finn Dameron, and his girlfriend, Rose Tico. They'll be in my section this semester. I've told them all about your projects."

"It's nice to meet you both," Holdo remarked politely and then sighed, "Poe, you should avoid including family and friends in your section. There will be questions about your objectivity when it comes to grading."

Poe began to protest, but Holdo cut him off, "I believe Phasma still has space in her section on Tuesday afternoon. Finn and Rose, does that work for you two?" The pair nodded, with Rose wearing a flustered expression and Finn turning more somber.

"It's good to see you again, Finn," Phasma stated drily as the couple passed her while exiting the lecture room. Finn rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead in exasperation once he passed her. Of course, he got thrown into a section with Phasma. Of course.

...

Ben threw his apartment door open in frustration and tossed out the contents of his satchel on the dining table. As he went to grab a snack bar from the cabinet, he shoved the refrigerator in anger and kicked its door as he left the kitchen.

After Holdo's class, he met with his advisor, Snoke, about his dissertation progress. Snoke had once again thrown out a chapter that took him five months to complete after many revisions and suggested a completely different topic for a new chapter. He would have to spend another three or four months of research and analysis for that topic alone, setting his graduation goals back yet another semester. On top of that, Snoke insisted Ben spend the weekend in the archaeology laboratory to do additional analysis. Ben had no choice but to comply, otherwise his funding would be pulled and he did not want to ask his parents for extra assistance or take out loans.

Hux walked into the apartment some time later to find his roommate Ben's books and notes covering the dining table in addition to the sink still full of dishes that hadn't been washed since yesterday. He rolled his eyes and opened the refrigerator, eager to dive into the veal marsala that he had picked up from a local restaurant the night prior. It was a treat to himself for reaching his latest project goal with his history dissertation on accounts of Roman military strategy.

And... The interior was covered in a brown liquid that also covered the box holding his dinner. He opened the box to find that the liquid had seeped through the cracks onto the veal. He threw the box into the trash and seethed. He knew exactly what happened. After all, his roommate had quite the temper.

Hux noticed that Ben's door was open, and he stormed over to the doorway. Ben ignored his redheaded roommate blocking the doorway, instead focusing on tying up his gym shoes.

"Kriff, Ben, you put the blender in the refrigerator without the top again! Why the hell can't you put your protein shakes in bottles like a normal person?! You ruined my dinner! You're cleaning this up this time!" Hux shouted, his face turning red.

Ben shoved past Hux and snapped without looking at him, "I'll do it after I get back from the gym."

Hux scowled as Ben left the apartment, and he noticed Ben's phone sitting on the dining table. An idea rose in his head, and he entered the last passcode he remembered for the phone. It still worked. He pulled out a chair, and his cat, Millicent, jumped up onto his lap.

"Well, Millicent, let's do this," he smirked as he scratched the tabby's head while typing into the phone with his other hand.

...

Rey plopped on her couch with her phone once she returned from her lab, finally finished for the day. She couldn't believe that she forgot her phone today of all days, and of course she had about around 20 frantic texts from her brothers in addition to several Tinder notifications. She took a sip of her beer, and responded to Finn and Poe before checking her Tinder account.

She had downloaded the account a few days prior on a whim while she was drunk and alone at the apartment. Poe was out of town for a conference and Finn went to Rose's parents house for dinner. Without any projects to do, she was extremely bored and decided to see what Tinder was like. And, she honestly did not get the praise. Most "matches" ignored her. She got some dick pictures and crude comments. She also got at least one "match" that would not quit texting her every ten minutes. Did he not have a life? Blocked. She'd look at some more profiles and give the app one more day before she deleted it for good. Why not.

The next profile she swiped on included a strange mixture of pictures. They certainly were unique compared to the garden-variety gym selfie or majestic travel photo. The first image showed a tall figure in a navy masked uniform with a bamboo sword. She assumed that he must enjoy martial arts like her if he took kendo. The next photo included him supervising an excavation trench while wearing a black t-shirt streaked with mud that said "Come to the Dark Side We Have Coffee." The final picture had him facing the camera with a deadpan expression on his face as he held a French bulldog with its tongue sticking out of its mouth.

He was clearly fit, and he struck her as rather handsome in his own way with his strong, dark features and intense brown eyes. Raising an eyebrow, she read his description. "Medieval Indiana Jones. Aspiring knight. Darth Vader fanboy. Looking for a woman who can kick my ass in sword fighting and isn't afraid to tell it like it is."

The description struck her as so random and odd that it made her chuckle. Was this guy really being serious? He wasn't her usual type, but he would probably be an entertaining date. After all, his nerdy confidence gave him a certain kind of appeal in addition to his looks. She swiped right. It was a match. Kylo Ren. Interesting name.

 _"Nice t-shirt, Kylo. Is there one for the light side? ;-)"_ She sent the message before she could second-guess her text and put away her phone for the night.

...

Hux played on the Tinder app for a while longer, so he could warm up the application before Ben deleted it. "Kylo" already had several matches, with one of them messaging him quickly. Much to his surprise. Posing as his roommate, Hux sent a response to a woman calling herself "Rey" before turning off the phone and putting it back in its place.


	2. Let's Rule the Galaxy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "How about you join me on the light side, we have better coffee. :-)"

**Chapter 2: Let's Rule the Galaxy**

 An hour later, as Rey was working on her thermodynamics assignment, Rose, Finn, and Poe entered the apartment, carrying bags of food. BB-Ate, Poe's corgi, scampered in along with the group and ran to Rey for attention.

"Hey Rey! We picked up Thai for dinner, as promised. Sorry we took so long. The lines were ridiculous tonight," Finn exclaimed as the group began unloading the bags onto the table.

"No worries, and great! Did you get me the deluxe Pad Thai combo?" Rey responded, opening the boxes before Poe handed Rey her dish.

"Awesome, thanks! So how was archaeology?" She asked as she began to dig into her noodles.

Opening his own box, Finn sighed, "Well... I think Professor Holdo will be a challenging but interesting professor. I liked the lecture. But, when Poe introduced me and Rose to her, she said that Poe couldn't have family and friends as section students. So, now Rose and I are in Phasma's discussion section."

Rey frowned slightly, "Isn't Phasma the same T.A. you had for the Roman Imperial Architecture class last semester with Professor Snoke? The one that you had to drop because she and Snoke were too tough with grading and deducted section points whenever she didn't agree with an answer?"

"Yep, same person," Finn confirmed. Poe nodded with a weary look in his eyes and Rey winced.

"Hopefully, Holdo will keep Phasma from being too hard on us, considering she's Poe's advisor," Rose commented with a sigh, "So, Rey, how was your lab this afternoon?"

Later, once Poe and Finn had left after they finished dinner and caught up, Rey grabbed Rose's attention as she finished tidying up the kitchen.

"Hey Rose, can you keep a secret for a bit?"

"Hm, it depends?" Rose answered with a skeptical look in her eyes. Typical Rose response.

Rey explained, "When you and Finn were visiting your parents, and Poe was out of town last week, I downloaded Tinder out of boredom. Most of the guys don't answer or are complete creeps. I am going to delete it soon, because it's a waste of time. But, I got an interesting match this evening. I can't decide if I want to meet up with him or not, but please don't say anything to Finn or Poe yet. Here, you can read the conversation." Rey handed over her phone to Rose.

Rose read the latest text aloud,

_"I don't know about a light side shirt. But, come meet me for coffee on the dark side, and we can rule the galaxy together. ;-)"_

"Um... That's... the first time I've seen that quote as a pick-up line. Hey girl, let's rule the galaxy together!" she exclaimed with a playful wink at Rey, making her shake her head with a laugh.

"Very mysterious with that robe of his... And now he reveals his face... Wait, that's one of the T.A.s for the archaeology class! His real name's Ben, I think..." Rose paused to grab the syllabus from her backpack and checked it. She nodded, "Yep, Ben Solo."

Rose cracked up as she read the profile description, "He was so serious in class today! So, that's what he's like when he tries to pick up women, goofy, nerdy heavy metal fan."

She returned the phone to Rey and remarked, "He seems fine to me. Weird, yes, but probably won't murder you if he wants a woman that can kick his ass, in his own words. Poe probably knows him. He'd know better whether or not Ben's someone that can be trusted. Why don't you want me to say anything to your brothers?"

Rey responded, "Because you know they are going to stalk and drill him before any date even takes place. I told you about my prom date, right?" Rose chuckled at the memory of the story and nodded.

Rey continued, "I want to get to know Kylo, or Ben, or whatever name he calls himself, for myself, first. I'm 20. I can handle myself. I'll tell them if it gets serious, but come on, it's Tinder. Odds are it's only going to be one or two dates. I just wanted to let you know, because you're my contact if I meet up with him."

"I'll hold you to your promise to tell your brothers if it gets serious," Rose emphasized and then remarked with a snicker, "Just take your staff in case Mr. Vader Fanboy tries anything with his sword."

Rey chuckled, "Okay, I'll just bring my staff right into a coffee shop. Don't worry, I'll tell them."

Rose added, "All right. Oh, and you're more than welcome to borrow my taser if you go on a date with him. It'll fit in your purse."

Once Rose left the room, Rey texted a response to Kylo, _"What are you up to this weekend? How about you join me on the light side, we have better coffee. :-)"_

...

Ben didn't check his phone until the morning, when he was drinking his coffee. He had stayed up late working on his chapter and cleaning down the refrigerator. Missed phone call from his mother. Several texts from his mother and Snoke. Spacebook notifications. Tinder notifications...? He didn't even use any dating applications.

He opened up the Tinder application to find a profile with several pictures that he found unflattering and a crazy description. Although, he had to admit to himself that the crazy description wasn't entirely inaccurate. He noticed that Kylo, his former band nickname and internet handle, was displayed for his "name." He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to figure out how this happened.

Switching to the matches section, Ben saw a list of names, "Jessika," "Lily," "Peera," and "Rey." Rey had a red notification dot on her name, so he clicked on her name. Glancing over the conversation, the time codes confirmed his suspicions.

There were three texts exchanged while Ben was at the gym last night. He must have left the phone at the apartment, and Hux was the only person who could have accessed it then. Ben stormed over to Hux's room, grabbed a pillow off the couch, and forcibly threw the pillow at Hux. The pillow startled Hux out of his sleep and narrowly missed Millicent, who hissed at Ben in response.

Ben shouted, "Keep your hands off my phone! Why the fuck did you download Tinder and text a woman while pretending to be me? My dating life is none of your business!"

Rubbing his eyes, Hux sat up and responded coolly, "You don't have a dating life. Don't throw your shit all over the apartment, and this won't happen again." Once he finished talking, he tossed the couch pillow in Ben's direction.

Ben slammed Hux's door without a further word and sat back down at the table. It was time for damage control. He immediately changed his phone passcode. Next, he unmatched Jessika, Lily, and Peera. No conversation had taken place with those women yet, anyway. But, he hesitated when it came to the conversation with Rey.

He checked her profile to find a picture of a tan brunette sitting on the beach holding a corgi in her lap. Her other picture showed her posing next to a vintage red Vespa with an orange and white helmet on her head. Her bright smile, radiating into her hazel eyes, kept catching his attention.

Rey's description was brief but included a couple of elements that emphasized her individuality. "Aerospace engineering student. I love nature, restoring vehicles, and trying new foods."

If Hux hadn't turned off Rey yet with his response, the least Ben could do was tell Rey what happened and leave his number.

...

Once she parked her scooter on campus, Rey checked her phone while walking to her classroom. She opened up the conversation with Kylo.

_"Rey, my roommate set up my profile on here without my knowledge. I am going to delete the application later today. If you still wish to meet for coffee, you can text me at this number: 4548391029. –Ben."_

Rose was right with her remarks about "Kylo"'s real identity as an archaeology graduate T.A. for her class. At least, Ben wasn't trying to maintain a facade. She already had her suspicions that the profile wasn't entirely serious. So, she wasn't really surprised at the admission.

Still, Rey wondered, what parts of the profile were true? Ben's latest text came across as more formal than the profile and the first message, possibly sent by his roommate. What was Ben like, really? There was only one way for her to find out.

_"Hey Ben, Rey here. Gotcha. Sure, we can still meet up. Let me know what time works for you and where. Then you can tell me the story behind your profile. FYI, I'm free tomorrow after 2, but I'm going to my parents' on Sunday. Cheers."_

...

That evening, at the Eisley Cantina, Ben sat at the bar drinking from his whiskey as the rock band's music blasted in the background. He decided to review the day's texts as he waited for Phasma and Hux to arrive. Snoke had continued to pile demands throughout the morning before they finally tapered down a couple of hours ago. His mother was supposedly coming to Los Angeles in two weeks for a public function and kept insisting on having dinner when she was in town. Now, she wanted him to attend the function, as well. Then, there was Rey's text that he still had not answered. Might as well get it over with before he procrastinated further.

" _Hi Rey, would 4 PM tomorrow at Maz's Coffee Beanery work for you?"_

Shortly afterwards, Ben noticed a redheaded man and a tall blonde woman, both clad heavily in leather, looking around the crowd. His friends finally arrived. He waved them over to his spot. Phasma and Hux made their way over and took their seats next to him. Right then, Ben felt his phone go off, and he glanced at it, noticing a bright green notification.

 _"REY:_ _Yeah, that works. See u then."_

Phasma snapped her fingers in front of Ben's face, "Hey, put the phone away. Who texted you this time? Snoke or Leia?"

Ben shrugged as he put his phone in his pocket, "Neither, I was just following up with someone about plans for tomorrow."

"Would that someone be a girl from Tinder and would plans for tomorrow involve coffee?" Hux inquired with a smirk before he ordered his gin and tonic.

"Not that my love life is any of your business, as I said this morning, but yes," Ben answered brusquely as he took a drink.

Phasma's eyes widened in surprise at the exchange, and she interjected, "Ben, since when do you use Tinder? You haven't had a girlfriend since you were an undergrad. I didn't think you were trying to date anytime soon. You're always working."

He responded, "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Hux set up me up last night with a woman on Tinder. I didn't find out until this morning."

Phasma turned to Hux and exclaimed, "You did _what_? How?"

Wearing an amused expression on his face, Hux recounted the story and concluded, "Phasma, I'm surprised, too, that he had women matching with him last night. Ben should grateful to me if he gets laid because of this."

Raising an eyebrow, Phasma sipped her martini and commented after a few seconds, "Ben... don't forget to invite us to the wedding." Ben shot Phasma and Hux an icy glare as the pair tried to contain their laughter before failing.


	3. Maz's Beanery and Armitage Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, how was your Tinder date, Ben?" Phasma asked with a teasing tone and Hux looked at Ben with a curious, smug expression. Ben glared at Hux in return.
> 
> Note on ages: Originally, Finn, Rose, and Rey were all sophomores. But, I decided to check the ages for Finn and Poe, and it turns out Finn is several years older than Rey. Rose has no confirmed age, so I'm making her 19 going on 20. Here, Rey just turned 20. So, Rey and Rose are the sophomores. Finn is now a college senior at 23, and he gets a gap-year backstory to explain his age and progress. Ben is 29 going on 30, Poe is 32, Hux is 34, and Phasma, with no confirmed age, is around 38-39. They're all graduate students, so there's no need to correlate age with academic progress. Just for the record, Han, Paige, and Shara are all alive and will make appearances.  
>  

**Chapter 3: Maz's Beanery and Armitage Hugs**

Rey glanced around the cafe as she entered, trying to see if she could identify Ben. The plain, unassuming exterior belied a spacious interior full of mismatched tables and oversized blue chairs, along with a bookshelf stocked with well-worn books and a box containing board games for the guests to pass time. The conversations and background music maintained a comfortable tone to the ear even though the cafe was quickly filling up with people.

Perhaps he hadn't arrived just yet, but she was about five minutes early. She placed her helmet on a window-side table and settled into one of the overstuffed chairs. While she waited, she searched her cross-body bag for her phone, placing the larger items on the table in front of her. Once she found the phone, she texted Rose to let her know that she was at the coffee shop and told Ben where to find her.

After a few text exchanges with her roommate, a voice caught her attention, "Hey, Rey?"

Rey looked up and recognized the man from his pictures with his thick black hair and intense eyes, although he was much taller than she expected. She nodded with a smile, "Hey, yes, and you're Ben? It's nice to meet you." When he nodded back, she took his hand in greeting.

"Why don't we order drinks first?" Ben remarked before his eyes caught sight of a square pink device on the table, "And, is that a taser?"

_Kriff,_ Rey thought, _she probably seemed like a paranoid shut-in who spent all her time watching shows about unsolved crimes._ She blushed as she began stuffing the taser and other removed items back in her bag, "Uhhh, yes, it is. It's my roommate's, not mine. She wouldn't let me leave the apartment without it. I only had it out because I was trying to find my phone."

She continued talking as the two walked towards the line for orders, "My weapon of choice is actually a staff, not that I ever actually use it against people..." She scrunched her nose, "You know what, that came out wrong. Your first picture showed you in a kendo outfit? Just curious, because I'm a red belt in Tae Kwon Do... How long have you been taking kendo?"

Rey cursed at herself mentally. _This was no way to start off a date, with conversations about fighting and weapons that probably made her come across as someone out for blood._

However, Rey's nervous introduction and facial expressions amused Ben. It seemed that she was just as anxious as him about this meet-up. With a half-smile, he responded, "I started it a couple of years ago... I used to do cross-fit, but I stopped it when I started graduate school. I still go to the gym, but I'm interested in the medieval military. So, I thought Kendo seemed fun, and it helps with stress, too..."

_Dammit,_ Ben thought to himself, _he didn't need to be slipping about his temper to his date on their first meet-up... He would never lay a hand on a woman, and he was trying to get his anger issues under control. But, still._

He decided to change the topic. "So, Maz actually used to run a tavern just north of the border, but it burned down in a wildfire about ten years ago. She opened up this shop around that time, because she wanted a quieter pace," Ben explained.

"Ben Solo! Good to see you today. Who's this lovely young lady with you?" a dark woman with her face lined by faint wrinkles, large tortoiseshell glasses, and a braid, wearing a bright yellow dress, exclaimed.

"What would you two like?" Maz asked after Ben introduced her and Rey to each other.

"You can go first, Rey," Ben offered.

"I'll just have a cappuccino, please."

Maz added, "Do you want a snack? As Ben can tell you, I make these muffins fresh every day."

"Hm, I'll try the pumpkin cream cheese muffin, please and thank you."

After Rey gave her order, Ben ordered a double espresso and a strawberry walnut muffin for himself.

"You don't have to do that. I can pay for myself," Rey commented and began to reach into her pocket as Ben told Maz he'd cover the bill for the both of them.

"I insist."

"Really, it's fine. You don't have to do this just to prove some outdated gender role."

"I'm not trying to prove anything. Let me get this, please," Ben responded with a sigh.

"Okay, fine, thank you," Rey acquiesced.

"All right, well, I hope you both enjoy your food. Ben, tell your father he owes me for shipment 420 and tell my boyfriend to come down and visit me before I meet someone else," Maz commented with a twinkle in her eye as she handed them their drinks and muffins. Ben nodded politely and Rey gave Maz a smile before they walked away from the counter.

_Shipment 420, really? Was Han, his "father," still making those kriffing marijuana shipments? It wouldn't shock him if Han opened his own marijuana shop once that stuff became legal in a few months._ Ben thought to himself as he tried to not blush or give away his emotions to Rey as they walked back to their table. He just hoped Rey didn't catch the reference.

"Your ears are turning red, Ben. Are you cold?" Rey asked while she placed the drinks on the table.

"No, I'm okay," Ben replied as he set the food on the table and brushed his hair over his ears.

Once the two of them settled into their seats, Rey took a sip from her coffee and asked, "So, why did your roommate make a Tinder profile for you?"

Ben took a deep breath and sighed, explaining, "He was angry at me for making a mess in the kitchen... I'll admit, it wasn't the first time there was an argument about my messes. But, this time, I was at the gym and left my phone on the table. He knew my passcode... It's been changed since, and yes, the kitchen is clean now."

"Pink tasers and fake Tinder profiles. Life would be boring without our roommates," Rey smirked. Ben chuckled lightly in agreement. Somehow, Rey's comment made him feel less anger towards Hux for his antics leading to this meeting.

"Seems like Maz knows your parents? Are you originally from California, then?" Rey inquired.

"Yes, Maz is an old family friend, and sometimes she's... my father's business partner. I grew up in north California, though, in a small city between Sacramento and San Francisco. My parents travel frequently, so I spent a large part of my childhood being carted around the country with them," Ben responded, choosing his words carefully, "What about you, where are you from?"

"I was born in England, actually. My birth parents brought me here with them when I was a baby. We were actually living in a town near Barstow in the desert, Jakku. Not sure if you've heard of it. They left randomly when I was six and didn't return. I was in foster care until I was ten, when I ended up with my adoptive family. They live near San Diego. Both of my brothers are also studying here, actually," Rey responded, her eyes getting a wistful look when she discussed her birth parents. Her voice became a little more upbeat as she mentioned her adoptive family, however.

Ben's expression took on a slightly softer, more sympathetic countenance in response to Rey's answer. He answered, "I see. For what it's worth, your current family's lucky to have you. What are you and your brothers studying here?"

They continued the conversation for a couple of hours, long after they consumed their muffins and coffees. They only noticed the passage of time when their surroundings began to take on an orange sheen.

Rey looked out the window and commented, "Is it really sunset already? I should probably head back to my place before it gets dark. This is a great cafe. I'll have to try to come here more often. Well, even with your roommate's prank and my roommate's taser, I really did enjoy chatting with you."

"I enjoyed this, too. Maybe we could meet up again next weekend?" Ben offered, surprised at the ease of spending the afternoon with Rey.

"I would like that. We can text about plans over the week?" Rey replied, and Ben agreed.

"Great to meet you and have a good weekend," Rey remarked as she went in for a hug. Ben returned the hug, "You too. Let me know when you make it back to your place. Have a good weekend, as well."

...

Meanwhile, at Hux and Ben's apartment, Phasma wrapped up her translation of a Latin inscription and began to open up her powerpoint for her discussion section next week. She realized that she never received the section materials and textbook from Holdo after class on Thursday. She got out her phone and group texted Poe and Ben.

_"Hi Poe, I never received the section materials from Holdo... Didn't you say we'd get them yesterday?"_

_"Yes, Holdo gave them to me and sorry I forgot to bring them to you and Ben. Either of you on campus or nearby today?"_

_"I'm actually at Ben's apartment. It's not far from campus at all. He's not here now, but I'm there with Hux. Come on over."_

_"Ok, what's the address?"_

A while later, with BB-Ate in tow, Poe located the apartment complex and entered once Phasma buzzed him into the building and greeted him from a balcony as he walked into the courtyard.

"Hey Phas, I hope you don't mind that I brought my dog over. I live a couple blocks from here, and she needed the walk," Poe remarked as he climbed up the courtyard staircase to the apartment.

"Hux has a cat, so I'm sure it's fine," Phasma remarked and patted BB on the head just before they went inside. Poe took in his surroundings as he entered the apartment.

The immaculately clean living room and dining area contained sleek, minimalist furniture with little color. The walls were mostly sparse with the exception of a map of the Roman Empire and a poster of _Darth Vader and the Troopers_ hung over the couch and armchair in the living room. Besides the books and computers on the coffee table, the only other objects in the room were a TV on a stand, along with its additions, and a guitar hanging from a coat hook.

The whole apartment felt sterile and cold to Poe, and yet, it didn't surprise him given its inhabitants. In fact, one of them, Hux, was still absorbed in his work on his laptop and didn't look up to greet Poe.

Poe took the initiative, instead, "Hey, Hugs, right? I think I've met you before. How's it going, man?"

Hux blinked and looked with a slight expression of disdain at Poe, Phasma and Ben's colleague, who wore an air of confidence. He commented, "It's Hux, and yes, I attend some of your department's lectures."

"Hm, right, Hugs."

Phasma groaned as she took her place on the couch, "Okay, enough. Poe, why don't you have a seat. You got the books?" Poe settled down into the armchair and produced the textbooks and section materials from Holdo. BB took her place at Poe's feet and contentedly fell asleep.

Phasma and Poe then discussed the section and its contents. After some twenty or so minutes, the apartment's front door began to open, prompting BB to wake up and greet the incomer with a series of barks.

"What the kriff?" Ben exclaimed with a startled expression on his face as he closed the door behind him.

Poe called out, "Sorry, Ben, I brought my dog along with me. She's harmless, just likes to greet people, that's all. Anyway, I got your books right here."

"No, that's fine. I like dogs. I was just surprised. Thank you for bringing them," Ben remarked as he walked into the living room. BB walked up to Ben and scratched his foot, and he responded by petting the corgi's back.

"So, how was your Tinder date, Ben?" Phasma asked with a teasing tone and Hux looked at Ben with a curious, smug expression. Ben glared at Hux in return.

"Oh, you had a date just now, Ben?" Poe inquired with a curious tone, unaware of Hux's actions.

Ben nodded, "Yes, I met up with her at Maz's. It went a lot better than expected. We're meeting up again next week."

Poe grinned and winked at Ben, "Nice. What's her name and what does she do?"

Before Ben could answer, BB began barking and sprinting across the living room. BB had finally noticed Millicent and was now chasing after her. Hux and Poe scrambled to catch their pets, running around the apartment for several minutes before finally catching them.

"Get that vicious rat out of here now!" Hux shouted at Poe, clutching onto Millicent.

"Chill out! I got her under control," Poe snapped at Hux, as he held BB by her collar. BB glanced at Poe and whined.

Once Poe put a leash on BB, he sighed, "I should head back to my place now, anyway. I have to get up early tomorrow to drive to my parents' house."

"Where do your parents live, again?" Phasma asked.

Poe responded before he walked to the front door, "Yavin, it's about fifteen miles from San Diego."

The response grabbed Ben's attention, as several things clicked together for him. While she hadn't named names, Rey had mentioned her brother being a graduate student in archaeology. She was also going to her parents' house tomorrow, which was in a town near San Diego. He also remembered a corgi in her profile picture on Tinder, which looked exactly like BB.

Opening the door, Ben commented in a measured tone, "Thanks for coming by, Poe. We'll see you in class on Tuesday."

Poe answered, walking out the door, "No problem, see you all later."

"I just realized Rey's Poe's sister. Don't say anything to Poe just yet," Ben admitted with a slightly nervous expression once the door closed.

"She better not bring that damn dog here," Hux grumbled.

Phasma exclaimed at Hux with a sharp tone, "Shut up! You're being ridiculous. Now, Ben, get some beers out the fridge and tell us more about how tonight went. I won't say anything to Poe, and neither will you, Armitage."

...

The next morning, Rey called out from the front door to her roommate in the bathroom, "Come on, Rose, the boys are here!"

"Just give me a couple more seconds, I'm almost done!" Rose called back as she curled a strand of hair. A few moments later, she grabbed her purse, locked up the apartment, and rushed down to the white sedan in front of the building.

Rose gave Finn, who was sitting in the front, a quick kiss on the cheek as she entered the back seat of the car and greeted Poe, the driver. BB sat in the middle, and Rey was on the other end of the back seat.

Once the car got moving on the freeway, Poe began talking,

"I already told Finn about this, but I have a story for you girls. So, last night, I went to Ben's apartment to drop off some T.A. materials from Holdo for Phasma and Ben. You think Phasma and Ben are uptight? Let me tell you, Hux has a stick up so far up his ass it makes these two look laid back. He completely ignored me when I entered the apartment, so I called him Hugs to get his attention... He just used the snottiest tone. I stuck around, though, to talk with Phasma about section. Ben was fine when he got back to the apartment from his Tinder date. We were asking him about the date when BB started barking and chasing Hux's cat. Hux flipped out, called BB a vicious rat, and made me leave as soon as we got them under control. He's crazy."

"Awwww, poor BB! She's such a sweetie!" Rose exclaimed as she leaned down to cuddle BB, who licked her cheek in response.

"Wait, you said that Ben was on a Tinder date? He's never seemed like someone who uses these kind of apps." Finn commented with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Poe nodded, with a slight chuckle, "Yes, and what's more, I was informed that the girl agreed to go out on a second date with him."

"Really?" Finn remarked, as Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat and Rey leaned her forehead against her hand, looking down at her feet.

"Hey, I'll be surprised if it lasts longer than two dates, with his asshole friends and his attitude. Wonder who the unlucky girl is."

Rose glanced at Rey with a questioning look, and Rey shushed her in return. Rose turned away and glanced out the car window, remarking, "Come on, guys, you never know with Ben, maybe..."

Before Rose could finish, Rey interrupted, "So! I got a new project for this semester working on a design for a space shuttle in one of my classes..."


	4. A Cute Boyfriend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The caption for the picture read, Captain Phasma of Tarth and General Hux of the First Legion. The picture made Finn and Rose laugh, but they weren't as amused as Poe, who couldn't stop himself from laughing hard again."

**Chapter 4: A Cute Boyfriend?**

**The following Friday:**

Hearing the doorbell ring, Hux answered the door in his Imperial Roman soldier costume, complete with a hairy helmet and a shield with red and black cogs. He and Phasma were attending a costume party that his history department's graduate students were holding. The party usually ended up being a competition, with various prizes given for categories such as best recreations or most creative interpretations of historical figures.

"Phasma, why aren't you in costume? " Hux asked once she entered the apartment. She was wearing makeup and dressed neatly in leggings and a gray v-neck shirt, but no costume.

"The store was all out of Roman soldier costumes. Everything else was too small or boring," Phasma explained, "We still have an hour before the party starts. Do you have any ideas?"

"Hey Ben, don't you have a knight armor costume? She's only an inch taller than you. It might fit," Hux suggested when Ben left his bedroom, having gotten ready for a dinner date. If Ben wasn't joining them tonight, Hux might as well ask about his roommate's costumes.

"That's a good idea. Can I try the armor on? If you have it with you, that is," Phasma asked, turning to Ben.

"I'm about to go pick up Rey for dinner. Why can't you just throw on a bed sheet, call it a toga, and match with Hux?"

"Now, you know the only Roman women that wore togas were prostitutes. Are you trying to call me a ho?" Phasma said in an accusing voice with a wry smile on her face, as if daring Ben to challenge her.

"No, not at all. I'll go get the armor."

A few moments later, Ben came out of his bedroom with a full set of armor and handed it over to Phasma. Phasma took the costume and went into the bathroom to change. Once she came out of the bathroom, she remarked,

"It's a bit of a weird fit, but it's not that uncomfortable for just the evening."

"You look exactly like Brienne of Tarth from _Game of Thrones_. It suits you," Ben commented drily.

"Mm hm. Thanks for letting me borrow this. Enjoy your dinner tonight," Phasma answered.

"Thank you, and have fun at the party," Ben responded as he grabbed his keys off the rack near the front door.

"If your date flops, you know where to find us. Just throw on that Darth Vader helmet of yours and bring one of these fake swords in that coat closet. You can say you're Sir Kylo of the Knights of Ren," Hux said before Ben left the apartment.

...

That same evening, Finn and Rose returned to Rose's apartment from their own dinner date. They decided to take advantage of Rey's absence that evening and enjoy a movie or show without any interruptions. As Finn walked into the living room to set up the TV, Rose took out a carton of cookie dough ice cream and scooped it into separate bowls.

"Here you go, Finn. What are you thinking of watching tonight?" Rose asked as she handed Finn his bowl and settled down next to him.

"Thank you! Maybe _Stranger Things_?" he suggested before taking a bite of his ice cream.

"Good choice. That's what I was thinking too. Where did we leave off, though?"

"Let's just start from the beginning."

"Sounds good."

Two hours into the Netflix binge session, Rey quietly entered the apartment, but not before Finn noticed that her face was made up more than usual. She was also dressed up, with an outfit of non-torn black skinny jeans, a flowing blue sleeveless top lined with beads around the collar, and black wedges. She was even wearing earrings and had her hair down for once.

"You're all fancy tonight, Rey! I thought you said you were just going to dinner with a friend? Something you want to tell us...? A cute boyfriend?" Finn teased.

Rey jumped slightly in surprise when she noticed the couple cuddled up on the couch. She forgot that Finn was staying with Rose tonight.

Ben had dropped her off at the door with a pleasant good night kiss, several kisses really. Truth be told, she had briefly considered inviting him inside just so they wouldn't have to stop. But, it was too soon.

Finn's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Rey?"

"Maybe I just wanted to look nice tonight. You're watching _Stranger Things_? I didn't mean to interrupt your Netflix and chill session. Good night," Rey answered back as she headed towards her room.

"No need to get all defensive!" Finn responded, taken back by her snippy response.

"She's allowed to dress however she wants without your commentary. Let's finish the show," Rose stated rather curtly.

"I was just joking!" Finn exclaimed. Rose and Rey were being testier than usual tonight, but he decided he wasn't going to push the issue at this time of the day.

Rose didn't respond and simply returned her attention to the TV. She was trying to hide both her discomfort at covering up for Rey and her embarrassment at the Netflix and chill remark.

After a few minutes, Finn decided to break the tension. He slowly moved his hand from her upper arm towards her waist. When she didn't respond, he slipped his hand under her shirt and began lightly tickling her side.

"I'm trying to watch this!" Rose exclaimed, trying to suppress a grin and failing. Finn caught the grin and tickled her harder.

Laughing, Rose shoved away Finn's arm and turned over to her other side so as to face him. He lifted his hand in the air with an exaggerated look of innocence. She grabbed his shoulders and planted several playful kisses on his face before settling on his lips.

Finn pulled Rose closer to him so their chests pressed against each other while their kissing deepened. Just as she was starting to pull off Finn's shirt, the sound of a door opening and footsteps caught her attention.

"Come on! Take it to your bedroom! I don't want to see you snogging my brother on the couch," Rey griped loudly as she headed from her room to the kitchen for water.

Finn and Rose quickly got up from the couch and straightened out their clothes. They started heading towards Rose's room before Rey returned and added to her commentary.

"We should find a boyfriend for her, Rose. Then, maybe she'll leave us alone!" Finn remarked suddenly, trying to rile up Rey further. Unamused, Rose shot him a glare.

"Stop it! Leave HER alone or you're not getting anything from me tonight," Rose hissed as she tugged Finn into her room.

As she closed the door, Rose thought to herself, _hopefully, things get serious between Rey and Ben, and she and Finn could actually have the apartment to themselves more often. Then, they wouldn't risk interruptions and embarrassing comments._

...

The following Tuesday, Ben was reading through his notes at the lab table before his phone began ringing loudly. He glanced at the screen. That was the third time Leia tried to call him today.

He grumbled as he answered the phone, "Hi mother, give me a second. I'm in the lab right now. I'll call you back when—"

"Don't you dare to hang up on me. I've been trying to reach you all day. I really don't have time for this," Leia interrupted with an impatient tone.

"You never have time, but you demand my time. What's new?" Ben sardonically responded as he walked outside and listened to the response as he leaned against a tree outside the building's entrance.

"I'm not going there. I just wanted to confirm that I made reservations for us for lunch at Chez Threepio's at 1 on Friday at when I'm in town this weekend," Leia explained.

"I never said I could go, and I don't have permission from Snoke to take a lunch break off campus this Friday."

"Snoke can spare you for a couple hours for you to have lunch with your mother," Leia insisted.

"Fine, but you said you wanted me to attend some function on Saturday, too? I can't do that much in one weekend."

"Your father will be there too. He hasn't seen you since last Christmas."

"You're just giving me more reasons to not attend, you know that?"

"You're nearly 30 years old. Be an adult and show up for me, won't you? Besides, I know a lovely intern who would be a great date for you that night."

"You don't need to set me up with your intern, whether or not I attend your function."

"Why not? Your father and I aren't getting any younger, and you haven't dated anyone in years. We'd like grandchildren."

"I'm kind of seeing someone now. But even if it doesn't work out, I don't need your matchmaking attempts and guilt trips."

"You'll have to tell me more about this new girl. Actually, why don't you invite her to go with you on Saturday?"

"I've only gone on two dates with her. It's too early for that. I have to go. See you on Friday, mother."

Leia sighed with a slight tone of exasperation, "See you on Friday, Ben."

At a bench near the tree at the entrance, Rose reviewed her readings for the upcoming section with Phasma while eating her lunch. She had seen Ben arrive but decided against drawing attention. Ben was a T.A. in her class, colleague of her boyfriend's brother, and her roommate's current love interest. Yet, Rose had never formally met him.

It felt strange to keep hearing about him without actually meeting him. This whole situation made Rose feel awkward. Still, she was close enough to overhear his conversation, and she eavesdropped on it.

His statements were too vague for her to extrapolate much, but his tone was one clue. Furthermore, his final words let her know he was talking to his mother, making her pause in thought. Wasn't it said how a man treats his mother is how he'll treat his partner?

She also noticed Ben slam the door behind him as he went back into the building. Wasn't that a bit of a dramatic reaction in public to a phone conversation?

Rose didn't want to jump to any conclusions without any further knowledge of the conversation's contents. After all, she had heard Finn complain about Shara's daily check-ins and the rare argument. Otherwise, they were very close, and Finn always treated her with patience and respect. She could say the same for Poe and Shara, minus the patience to a degree.

Still, Rose didn't like the curt responses with the angry tone Ben gave his mother, as well as his slamming the door. Perhaps it was just bad timing, but it was time for her to get more information out of Poe and Finn about Ben. As far as she knew, Rey hadn't told anyone else about her involvement with Ben. Finn was always watching out for his sister, and Rose would hate to see Finn brokenhearted if someone hurt Rey.

Therefore, Rose saw it as her duty to get the full story on Ben for her roommate, especially if she wasn't telling her brothers yet. She knew that she and Paige would do the same for each other, even if it pissed them off for a little bit. With that thought, Rose pulled out her phone and texted Paige a random greeting with a humorous puffin image.

...

Rose went with Finn to his apartment after section, and they entered the apartment to find Poe at the dining table, cracking up at something on his laptop. He stopped laughing long enough to greet them.

"What's so funny, Poe?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow as she set her backpack down near a chair.

Poe gestured her and Finn over to his computer, "It's hard to describe, just come see. This was on Phasma's spacebook page, and it showed up on my news feed just now. Apparently, there was some costume party last weekend."

The picture on Poe's screen showed a tall figure in full knight armor and a man wearing Roman armor posing with their accessories, the man with a shield and the knight with a sword. The man had the most intense glare in his blue eyes along with a scowl, which somehow made the image both scary and absurd.

The caption for the picture read, _Captain Phasma of Tarth and General Hux of the First Legion._ The picture made Finn and Rose laugh, but they weren't as amused as Poe, who couldn't stop himself from laughing hard again.

"Is that the guy who yelled at BB when you went over to Ben's place?" Finn wondered.

"Yes, that's Hugs himself," Poe confirmed.

"Give me the computer for a second, Poe," Finn asked and Poe pushed the computer over.

Finn copied the picture of Phasma and Hux and transferred it into a new program. Once he cropped out Hux, he typed down _Phasma by Day, Chrome Dome by Night_ around Phasma in large white letters. Before he presented the image, he emailed the meme to himself, so he could share it with his classmates from Snoke's class last semester.

Finally, Finn turned around the laptop and presented the meme. Rose shook her head before she snickered. However, the image made Poe laugh harder than it had earlier.

"I've taught you well as a brother, Finn," Poe stated, still chuckling, "I'm going to send this to Jessika, if you don't mind. She's only been in the program for a year, but she butts heads with Phasma all the time in the lab. She'll love it."

"Why thank you very much. Let me know what Jessika says," Finn grinned.

"How did it go for you two today with Phasma? Did you follow along okay? Anything that could be done differently for my own students?" Poe inquired as he closed his laptop.

"I don't know much about Bronze Age Greece, but I really liked the readings. I followed along well when we were talking about the weapons found in excavations and their representations in frescoes. But, it was definitely harder when Phasma started asking about specific descriptions in the _Iliad_ ," Rose responded.

"A lot of it was pretty familiar to me, since I've taken Greek archaeology in the past. I just don't like how Phasma still calls people on the spot if they haven't spoken up during section. As Rose said, she expects us to get really specific with details. I think she forgets the important points sometimes," Finn added.

"She's not still deducting points for wrong answers, is she? If she is, I'll say something to Holdo," Poe remarked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll keep you posted," Finn answered.

"We have to come up with proposals for the final paper. We have one more week to work on them. I'm a little nervous about that, since I'm not sure what Phasma considers a good topic for a 10-12 page paper," Rose admitted.

"If you give me a draft before the weekend, I'll be happy to give you feedback," Poe offered. The sound of bubbling water began to reach their ears.

"Oh, the pasta's ready. Do you guys want some?" Poe asked as he got up to turn off the water and prepare the food for dinner.

As they began to eat dinner, Rose realized that she could bring up the topic of Ben while they still had the archaeology class and Phasma in mind.

"So, since we were talking about section and Phasma, that made me wonder... What's the deal with Ben Solo? You guys keep talking about how he's terrible whenever he comes up, but he hasn't seemed that bad when I see him at class? Just kind of weird and aloof?" Rose asked before she took a bite from her own pasta.


	5. The Kessel Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was Poe! What was her brother doing here? She hadn't told him anything yet. Maybe he hadn't seen her yet... No, he definitely saw her and was walking towards her right at that moment.

**_Chapter 5: The Kessel Run_ **

...

That Friday, Ben joined Leia for lunch, as planned. While they finished their lunch, which mostly passed by in silence, Leia realized Ben hadn't said anything about his dissertation. That was usually an indicator of some setback or problem whenever he didn't volunteer information about his own projects.

"Ben? How's the dissertation coming along?" Leia asked as she perused the coffee menu.

"Fine, it could be worse. I've got to redo my current chapter, though. Snoke told me to pursue another direction," Ben responded tersely.

"And what direction is that exactly? I don't even remember what your dissertation topic is anymore, because every chapter keeps getting changed or thrown out by him," she prodded further.

"He didn't agree with my assessment of some finds in Andalusia. So, he's asking me to check excavations and fortifications related to the Crusaders in Cyprus for this chapter," he explained.

"First, it's medieval Israel, then it's Islamic Spain, and now it's Cyprus Crusaders. That's three different topics. Ben, quite frankly, at this rate, I'm worried that you're not going to finish the dissertation. Have you thought about talking to the chair of the department about changing advisors?" she suggested with an exasperated sigh.

"No one else would take me on besides Snoke when I switched programs. Remember? Snoke knows what he's doing," he snapped.

"I heard enough about Luke and Amilyn's time in graduate school to know that your advisor most certainly does not know what he's doing and he could care less about your progress," she responded firmly.

"Do not bring up Skywalker to me. Snoke certainly cares more than him, and don't forget I've had plenty of opportunities thanks to him. I only have one more chapter after this, anyway; then, I'll be finished."

"Still, you should—"

"I'm not discussing this further," he interjected crossly.

"Fine. Coffee?" she offered.

"I'm done with my food, and I should get back to campus. Thank you for lunch, mother, and I'll let you know about tomorrow," he answered as he got up quickly and turned to head towards the exit, without offering a wave goodbye.

"Hm, you're welcome. Let me know if you invite Rey, too. Have a good day, Ben," she stated with a frustrated tone, and she watched her son leave the restaurant. His defensive, testy attitude to her questions and suggestions was nothing new, but at least he offered some more information than usual.

Also, Leia realized that Ben had not raised his voice that afternoon nor escalated the conversation into a full-blown argument and tirade. Certainly, that was some progress, and she wondered if it had anything to do with his new love interest.

...

The following Saturday morning, Rey arrived at Finn and Poe's apartment to make sure they were both awake for brunch with the Tico sisters, since neither brother answered their phones that morning. When she rang the doorbell, an energetic BB-Ate happily ran up to her and a bleary eyed Poe greeted Rey with a hug.

"Good morning, Rey. Sorry, I didn't get your calls earlier. I was walking BB. Come on in, what's up?" he asked as Rey hugged him back and entered the apartment.

"Good morning, Poe! I wasn't sure if either of you were awake... Are you still coming to the Corner Cafe this morning? Paige and Rose are on their way there now. Rose said she mentioned it to the both of you the other day?" she inquired.

"Shit, I forgot that was this morning. Yeah, I'm still down for that. Let me change... See if Finn's awake yet?" Poe answered. Rey nodded in response, before he went into his room.

Rey then walked over to Finn's door and knocked several times. When there was no response, she gingerly opened the door. Finn was still deep in sleep and snoring away. She walked over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Good morning! Finn, wake up! The Ticos are waiting for us," Rey said. The shaking didn't wake up her brother, as he simply turned over and burrowed his head into the plush pillow.

Rey scowled at Finn's response. But, before she said another word, she noticed BB at her feet and grinned mischievously. She put the corgi on the bed, who then ran over Finn's torso.

"Rise and shine!" she exclaimed as BB licked his face, effectively waking him up.

"What the kriff... Rey! Oh fuck, what time is it?" Finn sputtered as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Time for you to get up and get dressed. I'll let Rose know you're up, I'll wait for you and Poe in the den," Rey answered with an amused tone.

"Right. I guess I slept through my alarms again. Thanks, Rey," he responded as he handed BB to Rey. About thirty minutes later, the guys were ready, and the three of them left to meet the Ticos at the cafe.

...

An hour later, while the Ticos and Damerons were catching up over breakfast, Paige noticed a familiar face in the line.

"Kaydel! I haven't seen you since May! How's life treating you after law school?"

Paige exclaimed when she saw the petite blonde, with her hair wrapped up in two buns

on top of her head.

"Paige! How are you? I didn't know you were in town! Give me a second and I'll come over," Kaydel responded with a one second gesture. Rey excused herself to use the bathroom and left the table.

When Kaydel placed her order and walked over, Paige introduced her to the group, "This is Kaydel Connix... She was at Theed, too... And now she works for Senator Organa, right?"

Kaydel nodded, "Yes, and it's nice to meet all of you."

Poe flashed a smile at Kaydel and asked, "How long are you in town? Do you have any plans for tonight? I'm afraid Paige is going out to dinner with Rose, but you can always join me for a drink if you have nothing else going on." Rose kicked Poe under the table, and he tried to hide a slight grimace.

"Don't pay any attention to him. He's always trying to pick up someone," Paige rolled her eyes.

"Oh, it's all right, Paige. As far as your offer, Poe, right? I've got plans tonight, I'm afraid, but why don't YOU come with me?" Kaydel grinned at Poe and wrote down her number for him.

Just afterwards, Rey returned to the table and introduced herself to Kaydel, oblivious to the exchange that had just taken place. A few seconds later, Kaydel heard her name called out at the counter.

"Oh, that's my order! I have to go take this to my coworkers, but enjoy your food. Paige, feel free to text me if you want to catch up sometime this weekend or soon!" Kaydel remarked with a goodbye wave to the group and a wink at Poe.

...

Little did Poe know, Kaydel invited him to the same charity event for refugees that Rey was attending that evening. Ben invited Rey at the last minute the prior day, when Leia would not stop inquiring about her and continued insisting upon his attendance.

Rey knew it was kind of soon to meet his parents, but it was a public event at the same time. She figured there would be plenty of food and drink available if things were awkward, not to mention people that could occupy the attention of Ben's parents. Altogether, she expected it to be more of a casual introduction than anything else.

The introduction with Leia was brief in length, but she still got a sense of the woman's larger than life personality, which her tiny stature belied. They ran into Han next, who was accompanied by a burly, hairy man. Rey couldn't help but notice Ben looking more uncomfortable when Han greeted them.

"Rey, this is my father, Han Solo, and this is Chewbacca, otherwise known as Uncle Chewie," Ben said as he introduced them before his phone went off. Snoke was texting him, demanding answers about the latest lab results.

"Excuse me for a second," Ben said as he went outside on the patio. Han frowned at his son as he went outside, and Rey could sense the tension.

"Are you the same Han Solo, the racecar driver that made the Kessel Run in 14 minutes?" Rey inquired cheerfully.

"I used to be, and it was 12 minutes," Han shook his head with a chuckle

"So, Leia says you're in college with Ben, what are you studying?" Chewbacca asked in a thick accent. Rey continued to chat with Han and Chewie for a while, until she noticed a familiar face in the crowd.

It was Poe! What was her brother doing here? She hadn't told him anything yet. Maybe he hadn't seen her yet... No, he definitely saw her and was walking towards her right at that moment.

"Hey Rey! I didn't know you'd be here tonight. You remember Kaydel, Paige's friend, from earlier today, right? She works for Senator Organa, who's the one hosting this fundraiser," Poe remarked as he greeted his sister with a hug.

"Hey Poe! Yes, I remember you, Kaydel. The senator seems like a great lady," Rey answered somewhat anxiously as she hugged her brother back.

"Yes she is—," Kaydel began to respond before someone grabbed her attention, "Sorry, I have to go check on something. I'll be right back, Poe, and have fun, Rey."

"Who did you come with?" Poe asked his sister when Kaydel walked away.

"Oh, just someone from Tae Kwon Do... He didn't want to come by himself..." Rey pointed to a random man laughing with a large group of people by the bar. He was short, blond, and chubby, the opposite of Ben, in other words. Even his suit covered in a flower pattern set him apart.

She just wasn't ready to explain to Poe that she was on a date with his colleague and that she met him on a dating app known more for hook-ups than relationships. Better to make it seem as casual as possible.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him making out with a man when we came in... You don't need to be his beard, peanut..." Poe commented.

"He's good company. If it doesn't work out with Kaydel here, I'll set you up with him, if you want," Rey shrugged after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I'm able to pick up dates on my own without your help, but thank you. Well, have fun, be safe, and come find me if you need anything," Poe remarked.

"You too," Rey responded before they parted ways. She looked around the crowd and found Ben talking with a couple near Leia. More like he was just standing next to a table awkwardly and eating from his plate. She waved and walked over to him.

"Ben, Poe's here with a girl he met this morning when we were at breakfast. I didn't realize he had set up a date with her. I really don't want to have a conversation with my brother about how I met you on Tinder, of all places, at this party. Do you think we can go soon?" Rey asked nervously.

"We can go. There are better places to be than this party," Ben agreed.

"Thanks for understanding. I'm going to find your father and say bye, then I'll talk to your mother. Meet you at the entrance?" Rey stated. When Ben nodded, she disappeared into the crowd.

Ben pulled Leia to the side, "Rey's not feeling well. I'm going to take her home."

Leia sighed and rolled her eyes, "You're a terrible liar. You just want to leave early, don't you? Well, thank you for showing up tonight after all that complaining. Rey's a lovely girl, and I hope we'll get to see her again." With that said, she hugged her son before he left.

Ben avoided saying bye to Han altogether and headed straight to the entrance. Why bother giving the courtesy, his so-called father did that to him all the time growing up. He waited patiently at the entrance as Rey chatted with Leia and said her goodbye for the evening.

...

Once Rey and Ben reached her apartment, she leaned in for a kiss, which he returned. It was a gentle good night kiss, but why stop there... His lips were soft and she loved the feel of being enveloped in his arms. She ran a hand over the back of his neck, stroking his hair, as she deepened the kiss.

Ben ran his hands down to her hips, enjoying the curves of her waist. He took in the taste of her lips as he lightly pushed in his tongue, returning the intensity of Rey's kisses. He decided he wanted to feel more of her skin against his mouth and began planting kisses down her neck.

"Mmm... Why don't you come in for a little bit? We didn't get to talk much tonight..." Rey remarked as she soaked in the feel of Ben's kisses against her neck.

"I don't think we'll talk much more tonight either if I come in with you now..." Ben responded with a hint of a smirk before he headed for the door with Rey.

She raised an eyebrow at him and blushed a bit before she opened the door. When they walked in, they noticed Rose and Paige chatting at the round dining table snacking and drinking wine.

"Hey Rose and Paige, how's it going? Is Finn here?" Rey asked as she greeted the sisters. When Rose shook her head, Rey decided to go ahead and introduce Ben to the Ticos.

"This is my roommate, Rose Tico, and this is her sister, Paige. Paige actually goes to Theed Law School, but she's visiting for the weekend," Rey continued her introduction.

"You're one of the T.A.'s in the archaeology class, right? I've seen you around and heard a bunch about you, so it's nice to actually meet you," Rose stated. Rey thought she heard a slight tone of suspicion in Rose's voice, but she decided to brush it aside as her imagination.

"Yes, I've seen you in class, now that I think about it, in addition to what Rey's told me about you. Good to meet you, as well, Rose," Ben responded as he took Rose's hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Ben. You actually just missed Rey's brother, Finn. We made brownies just now... Would you guys like some?" Paige offered after she shook Ben's hand.

"Maybe later? Thanks though," Ben responded.

"Same," Rey chimed in as she took Ben's hand, beginning to step towards her room, "Well, I won't keep the two of you... Thanks for asking."

Paige wiggled her eyebrows at Rose and winked in Rey's direction after Rey brought Ben into her room and closed the door. Paige's action caused Rose to burst out in laughter.

"We should figure out a way to cockblock them. Didn't she almost do that to you last week?" Paige suggested in a voice slightly amplified with the aid of the glass of wine she just consumed.

"Paige, you're terrible! Knowing Rey, they're not doing anything else besides kissing tonight..." Rose responded in a volume just as loud as her sister's.

Rey stepped out of her room, which was adjacent to the area where Rose and Paige sat, and her face was pink with embarrassment.

"You know, we can hear you two! Either tone it down or go talk in Rose's room, please!" Rey exclaimed before she went back into her room.

Paige leaned in and whispered, "Honestly? They're probably going to do more than kiss given how quickly her hair's gotten messed up already."

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Rose laughed then sighed, "Enough of that. Let's watch a movie?"

In spite of the laughing, Rose was trying to hide her concern about Rey. She needed to share the information from Poe and Finn with Rey, but not while Paige was in the apartment. She would certainly tell Rey after Paige left and when it was just the two of them, without the Dameron brothers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Chapter 6 shall be posted sometime next week. I'm hoping to update this every 1.5-2 weeks, until it's finished. The whole work should be about 14-16 chapters, depending.
> 
> I'm worried this chapter may be too choppy? It was already split into two parts because of the number of storylines. However, would a slower pace within the story be okay if it meant more details (for example, more of the original trio)? It would also mean more chapters on top of the projected number. Feel free to leave feedback! Hope you enjoy!


	6. Monster on ForceTime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can we talk for a bit? It’s important,” Rose requested as she settled on the opposite end of the couch, positioning herself to face her roommate.

**Chapter 6: Monster on ForceTime**

****

_...._

When Rose returned to her apartment later that afternoon after Paige left, she saw Rey curled up on the couch still working on a sketch with several blueprints and designs scattered over the coffee table.

 

“Hey Rey, making any progress?” Rose asked her roommate.

 

“I’m just trying to figure out the best angle for this wing, but otherwise, it seems to be shaping up smoothly,” she responded.

 

“Can we talk for a bit? It’s important,” Rose requested as she settled on the opposite end of the couch, positioning herself to face her roommate.

 

Rey put down her pen and looked up at Rose, “Sure, what’s the matter, though?”

 

Rose took a deep breath before she began talking, “It’s about Ben. Please don’t get mad, but I overheard him last week before section when I was eating lunch outside of Supremacy Hall. He was on the phone with his mother, and he seemed pretty angry and impatient. I decided to ask Poe and Finn about him, since they keep bringing him up. I didn’t tell them you’ve been on some dates with him. But... What they said is kind of concerning in my opinion...”

 

Rey furrowed her eyebrows and remarked somewhat accusingly, “You can’t tell anything from eavesdropping on one conversation. You don’t know why he was angry. That doesn’t really give you a right to ask—”

 

Rose interrupted, “Please hear me out. He wasn’t always in the archaeology program. His advisor, Snoke, doesn’t do anything with medieval stuff; he works on classical archaeology. Ben was in the Religious Studies program his first year, with someone who works on medieval monasteries, but he got kicked out. No one’s really sure why, but Poe said it’s probably behavior related. Snoke was willing to take him on as a student, and that’s not saying a lot because you know Snoke’s horrible from what Finn’s told us already.”

 

Rey responded, “And is there more to this?”  

 

Rose nodded and continued, “Since he’s been in his current program, Ben’s been known to throw stuff around when he’s angry or frustrated, and he’s broken several things in the lab. Apparently, he beat up someone at a party a few years ago, too. Poe was there but he admits he was really drunk at that party. So, Poe doesn’t remember why Ben got in a fight. Just that the guy ended up in the hospital afterwards. So, with all that, I wonder just how violent he is, and I don’t want you to get hurt. I’d rather you be aware now and proceed accordingly than to find out when it’s too late.”

 

A few moments passed in awkward silence, with Rose twirling one of her curls and looking at the ground and Rey tidying up her papers.

 

“I don’t appreciate you being nosy... But, thank you for telling me,” Rey said as she got up to move her things into her room. She simply did not know what else to say.

 

At any other time, Rey would have called out Rose more forcefully for prying into her business, but what her roommate told her was no small matter. It was a lot of information to take in, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

 

Rose began to stand up as well, commenting, “I’m sorry, Rey, but I promise I wouldn’t have done anything if I didn’t think it was serious. I’m doing this as your friend.”

 

Once Rey put her sketches in her room, she headed out to the balcony to practice her staff forms for a while. A ringing text notification startled Rey out of her concentration after about a half hour had passed, and she knocked over one of the potted plants sitting on top of the balcony’s wall.

 

Before she could go grab her phone, she heard a familiar voice yelling from the ground. She peered over the balcony to see a short, plump woman with her gray hair held back by a bandana. It was her downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Auka, fussing over a shattered ceramic angel broken by the pot’s fall.

 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Auka!” Rey shouted out with a sheepish expression.

 

Her neighbor scowled at her and complained in her Irish brogue, “Of course it’s you, Rey Dameron! I’ve had enough of your ruining everything around here. Last month, you tore up my garden with your ridiculous motorcycle, claiming you were avoiding some squirrel. Now, it’s this. Next time you do something, I’m reporting you to Mrs. Gentu.”

 

“I replaced your plants, and I’ll pay you back for the statue,” Rey responded apologetically.

 

“Hmph. Who was that strange man coming out of your apartment this morning?” Mrs. Auka inquired with a judgmental tone.

 

“That’s none of your business!” the younger woman exclaimed with an offended expression.

 

“Don’t get cheeky with me, young lady!” Mrs. Auka scolded before turning away from Rey, grumbling something about how young people these days don’t respect their elders.

 

Rey rolled her eyes as she went to grab her phone. It was a text from Ben, who just simply wanted to share how he was thinking about her. She thought to herself, _how can he just act like everything is okay when there is so much for him to explain about his past and behavior towards his parents?_

_...._

In the meantime, Ben was settling down in his room with a science fiction book he had set aside a few months ago, now that he actually had a few hours for leisure reading. He turned on his Vader playlist and absorbed himself in his book.

 

A few moments later, his phone began ringing, and he chose to ignore it. The second time it rang, he got up from his bed to answer the phone, surprised to see that it was Rey, who usually preferred to text him. Furthermore, it was a ForceTime request.

 

“Hey Rey, why ForceTime? Everything okay?” Ben asked as he answered the call. He noticed she had a rather irritated expression on her face and that she was in her room, given the drawings posted on the wall behind her.

 

“Ben, what’s the deal with you and your parents? I don’t understand why you’ve been complaining so much when they clearly give a damn about you? And you completely blew off your father last night, too,” Rey asked with a confrontational tone. As she waited for Ben’s response, she couldn’t help but notice how his room was nearly devoid of color.

 

Taken aback by the sudden question, Ben asked rather sharply, “What don’t you understand?”

 

“Why do you hate your parents so much?” she pushed back.

 

“I don’t hate them—” he shrugged.

 

Rey quickly interjected, “Oh you don’t? Color me shocked. You have something else you want to tell me?”

 

“About what?” Ben snapped impatiently. This was coming out of nowhere, in his opinion.

 

“Well, word is, you got kicked out of your last program and sent someone to the hospital a few years ago. Were you planning on telling me or were you just going to keep all that a secret?” she accused.

 

“What the karking hell? Who told you? I wasn’t going to hide it! I’ve only known you for two weeks!” he responded angrily.

 

“Rose told me. She found out from my brothers. I know everything I need to about you,” she answered in a matter-of-fact manner.

 

Ben scoffed and countered, “Ah, you do? What you heard isn’t wrong. Did that gossip you have for a roommate tell you the guy sent to the hospital deserved more than a broken nose—”

 

“You’re a monster!” Rey shouted at him before the call dropped suddenly.

 

Ben cursed at the call dropping before he could offer any further explanation. He attempted to call her back, but the reception in his apartment was not behaving. He headed outside into the courtyard and tried to call one more time. The phone rang but remained unanswered.

 

Out of frustration, Ben kicked the door and slammed his hand against the frame before he went inside. Of course, the cute, spunky woman he met through Tinder would be the type to fly off the handle without giving him a chance. Why would he have expected anything else but failure from meeting someone through such a stupid application? He was dumb to think Rey could actually be long-term prospect for him, given the circumstances.

....

 

The next morning, Phasma walked to her workspace in the lab, pulling out her inventory of coinage from the previous summer’s excavations when she heard boisterous laughter coming from a nearby workspace. She glanced over to see Jessika and Tallie discussing something on Jessika’s computer screen.

 

“What’s going on here?” Phasma demanded as she walked over to their workspace, “Can you two be quieter? I have work to do.”

 

Jessika smirked, “Nothing, chrome dome.”

 

Phasma scowled, “Excuse me?” She pushed aside Jessika to view the monitor. It was a meme made from the photo of her in the knight costume. So, that’s why people had been calling her chrome dome for the past week.

 

“Explain this to me now before I report you two to the department chair for misconduct,” Phasma threatened Jessika and Tallie.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There definitely needs to be a trigger warning for references to mental illness and sexual harassment/violence in upcoming chapters, but I’m not sure how to tag it? Don’t worry, this fanfic doesn’t contain domestic violence. 
> 
> Also, some of the Knights of Ren will show up pretty soon here (but seriously, why do they rarely ever show up in AU stories?). Next update will be in 1.5-2 weeks. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments! As always, feel free to leave feedback and reviews. Happy Easter and Passover to all those that will celebrate in the upcoming weeks!


	7. I'd Rather Not Do This Right Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose jumped slightly at Ben’s presence, finished her bite, and answered, “Hi Ben, how’s it going?” 
> 
> “Funny you should ask that considering that Rey’s mostly been unwilling to hear me out for the past week,” he responded tersely, looking at Rose squarely in the face.

**_Chapter 7: I’d Rather Not Do This Right Now_ **

 

At the beginning of section that week, Phasma returned the paper proposals, now marked up with comments, to her students before she started the discussion. Rose sighed in relief as she read over her comments, as the T.A. approved and accepted her proposal. Certainly, Poe’s willingness to read over her proposal beforehand and give some suggestions didn’t hurt either.

 

Unlike Rose, Finn frowned as he read over the red comments below his proposal. As an anthropology major, he was confident with his proposal for the class, not needing any extra assistance from his brother or friends. Phasma’s rejection of his proposal was a first for him, as he usually got good marks on his papers.

 

Rose noticed Finn’s expression and grabbed her pen, writing a note on the margin of her paper: _Is everything okay?_ She slid the paper in Finn’s direction subtly and nudged his foot gently to get his attention.

Finn waited a few moments before he wrote his response to Rose: _Phasma said my project proposal didn’t have enough sources and wants me to come up with a new topic. Gonna stay after section to talk with her._ Rose squeezed her boyfriend’s hand reassuringly once she finished reading the message.

 

Finn lingered after section, waiting for the other students to leave, before he approached their T.A., “Phasma? Can we talk for a bit about your comments on my proposal? I don’t agree that my project doesn’t have enough sources to sustain a ten to twelve page discussion.”

 

Phasma paused from picking up her materials and nodded at Finn before answering, “Most of your sources on the Yoruba rely heavily on oral history, and I only counted one or two excavation reports in your bibliography. Oral accounts aren’t necessarily a reliable source of information.”

 

“Not everyone has written sources; there’s plenty of research done that show how oral history can be used in archaeology. Also, isn’t it Herodotus that’s called the ‘father of lies’? Yes, I remember that from the Greek class,” Finn asserted.

 

After a brief silent moment passed with the two of them glaring at each other, Phasma responded coolly, “Okay, Finn. You have one week to produce an annotated bibliography of these oral sources, showing how they correspond with the archaeological record, and add at least three more sources if you want to keep the same project.”

 

“I have the LSAT this weekend, can it be two weeks?” He requested.

 

“That’s when there’s a response paper due. One week is all you’re getting. You should have no problem if your sources are as informative as you claim,” she stated firmly.

 

“Seriously? Fine, you’ll have the bibliography in one week, Phasma,” he responded with a tone of frustration as he put the proposal in his backpack.

 

“One more thing before you go, Finn. Don’t go around spreading nicknames behind peoples’ backs,” Phasma commented while her student left the room.

 

In response, Finn’s face went ashen and his stomach dropped upon realizing that his T.A. had found out about his “chrome dome” meme. That explained her extremely nitpicky comments and unusually harsh demands for his proposal.

 

That also changed Finn’s initial idea to appeal to Professor Holdo immediately. With Phasma’s revealing remark, he’d have to wait and see what happened with the bibliography. After all, he wondered, would Holdo really be willing to accept any concerns about his T.A.’s teaching style if she found out about the meme?

......

 

The following Friday afternoon in the archaeology lab, Ben quietly worked away at his chapter as Jessika wrapped up the inventory of excavation tools for her students in the fieldwork lab class. The sound of heavy footsteps and the door suddenly swinging grabbed their attention.

 

A heavily scarred, wrinkled old man wearing a high quality tweed jacket and gold rings stormed into the lab, heading towards Ben’s direction. Snoke slammed a file on the desk in front of his student and shouted, “What’s this?”

 

“The final analysis of the weapon hoard from the excavation two summers ago, as you requested,” Ben answered in a matter-of-fact manner, while he tried to keep his expression as self-assured as he could in spite of his increasing nervousness, “Is there an issue?”

 

“Yes, it’s not complete! I’ve made a list for you of at least four other variables that need to be analyzed.   Have it on my desk by next Thursday. I don’t want to hear anything about you wasting time to cater to your family’s whims,” Snoke demanded as he indicated the list in the file.

 

“I’ve devoted all my time to your projects! I didn’t take away that much time from my work last week, and I answered you immediately whenever you called me,” Ben countered assertively.

 

“You’ll never make it as a professor if you keep pandering to your family. I thought you’d have the same potential as your uncle and grandfather, but it seems I was mistaken,” Snoke sneered, provoking Ben to glare sullenly at his advisor turning away from him and towards the doors.  

 

A few minutes later, once the doors were securely closed and Jessika’s course tools put away, Jessika spoke up, “You know, Ben, several of us are keeping a record of all the sleazy comments Snoke makes and we plan to file a harassment complaint at the end of the quarter. Given the way he talks to you, we could probably add mental abuse to the list...”

 

Ben protested, “I can handle him by myself—”

 

Jessika shushed him before he could continue and remarked, “Just so you know, you’re no better than he is if you don’t help us out with this. Think about it carefully. Have a good weekend.” She departed without further ado, leaving Ben alone in the now empty lab.

 

It was late in the afternoon, and Ben supposed he could head directly to the gym from campus. Taking advantage of the lack of people, he grabbed his gym clothes from his bag and began changing. Before he could put on his shirt, he heard his computer make a series of buzzes and clicks out of the blue.

 

Rey’s voice came through the speaker, “Bloody phone’s acting up... I’d rather not do this right now...” Rey had her attention fixated on the phone’s buttons, it seemed, as she was looking everywhere with mild frustration except directly at him.

 

“Yeah, me neither,” Ben answered as he looked at the screen with curiosity, as the ForceTime had seemingly randomly connected them right then and there.

 

Ben’s response drew Rey’s eyes to the screen at last. With a flustered expression and her eyes scanning Ben’s chest, she commented, “Um... Can you put a shirt on or something?”

 

He grinned at her response, “Nothing you haven’t seen before...”

 

She blushed and scowled slightly before asking, “So, why did you do it?”

 

“Why did I do what? Say it,” he insisted before the ForceTime session shut off as suddenly as it had begun. He felt a slight ache at the session’s end, wishing he could have talked more with Rey, but at least she spoke instead of ignoring him or making an excuse.

 

Ben’s phone buzzed with a text: _REY: I’m sorry, my phone cut off the connection, didn’t mean for it to end like that... Seemed like you were in the middle of changing clothes for something, so have a good evening._

So, it wasn’t an intentional disconnect on Rey’s end... Maybe things could still work out with her if Ben reached out, perhaps in a few days after she had some more space and time...

......

 

Those few days passed, and Finn and Rose found themselves in the library’s reading room Monday night for a late night study session. About two hours earlier, Rose finished her homework and curled up in a nearby plush chair to browse her social media pages while her boyfriend wrapped up his bibliography at one of the tables. Finn’s LSAT had gone well, as expected, but Phasma’s demands equaled tonight’s last minute revisions for his bibliography.  

 

As Rose’s eyes began feeling heavy, she stretched, closed her computer, and quietly walked over to Finn. She wrapped her hands around his shoulders and gently kissed him on the side of his forehead, “How’s it coming along, Finn?”

 

Rose’s kiss and question shook Finn out of his concentration. He smiled softly and gingerly returned her kiss. He ran a hand over his hair and shrugged as he responded, “Went through everything. Just checking this over one more time before closing this up. Hopefully, Phasma accepts it now.”

 

“I’m sure it’s great, then. Why don’t you check it in the morning? It’s late, and the library’s going to close soon... And bed would be nice by now...” Rose suggested as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Finn’s neck.

 

Finn rubbed his hand over Rose’s back, responding, “Yeah, I’ll see this more clearly in the morning. You’re right, it’s time for bed. Let’s go.”  

........

 

After the night passed and it was noon, just before lecture took place, Ben spotted a familiar face sitting outside Supremacy Hall and eating lunch, “Rose?”

 

Rose jumped slightly at Ben’s presence, finished her bite, and answered, “Hi Ben, how’s it going?”

 

“Funny you should ask that considering that Rey’s mostly been unwilling to hear me out for the past week,” he responded curtly, looking at Rose squarely in the face.

 

Rose looked back, unflinching, and calmly stated, “Ben, I’m not going to go telling Rey you want her to give you a second chance or anything like that. I heard you yelling on the phone outside a couple of weeks ago. When my roommate, who also happens to be my boyfriend’s sister, is dating some guy she met on Tinder and doesn’t tell anyone else but me, I think I have the right to make sure the guy’s not some serial killer or deadbeat. So yes, I asked Poe and Finn what they knew about you and shared that with Rey.”

 

Ben retorted, “Is eavesdropping something you normally do to people you barely know? Also, Poe was high as a kite at that party and doesn’t even remember what caused the fight. You want another person’s side of the story? Ask your T.A. yourself.”  

 

Still unfazed, Rose answered firmly, “Seriously? Getting wasted is not the same as punching up someone. Don’t you dare to use Poe’s party choices to avoid talking about your own behavior. And no! I’m not going to ask Phasma! She’s in charge of my grading. I’m not asking her for personal information.”

 

Ben raised an eyebrow at the girl incredulously, prompting Rose to soften her tone slightly, “Okay, I admit I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. I’m sorry, but I hope you understand that I was just looking out for Rey.”

 

“I accept the apology, and I can tell you more about what happened later, if you really want to know. Do you know where I might find Rey later?” Ben asked.

 

Rose commented, “I’m not really the one you need to explain yourself to. Just talk to Rey. I know she gets off class at four. Her building’s Takodana Hall, if you want to try to catch her there then. I can’t promise she’ll be willing to hear your side of things. Now, may I finish my lunch please?”

 

Ben nodded, thanked Rose, and returned into the building as Rose returned to her sandwich.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Once again, thank you for all the feedback and kudos! The next update will be more Reylo focused. Please feel free to leave a review, and have a wonderful weekend!


	8. A Reunion of Sorts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter: brief references to suicidal thoughts and roofies

**Chapter 8: A Reunion of Sorts?**

A few hours later, a musical ringtone blaring loudly grabbed Rey’s attention as worked away at her model at a worktable in one of Takodana Hall’s classrooms. Rey quickly grabbed her phone from her satchel and silenced it as her classmates turned their heads in her direction with various expressions of amusement or irritation.

 

She discreetly checked her message, it was from Rose,

_ROSE: Just a heads up, rey, saw ben outside supremacy hall around lunchtime... i’ll tell you more later, but i told him he could find you at Takodana after class at 4... maybe hear him out?_

Rey pressed her palm against her forehead as she texted a response, _no rose, you didn’t!! you know he’s been texting me everyday all week... btw, any update on Finn’s paper?_

Shortly afterwards, she got the following response from her roommate,

_ROSE: I don't want to hear you going back and forth anymore about whether you want ben’s side of the story or not :-P yep, it got accepted! :-)_

Rey quickly responded before shoving her phone back into the satchel, _yay for finn! :-D fine, i’ll talk to ben if i see him. you’re on bathroom cleaning duty this month._

Once the period ended, she took her time gathering her materials before she headed outside, composing her thoughts before she left the building. As she left the building, she noticed a familiar lanky figure dressed in dark clothes nearby and caught Ben’s attention with a wave.

 

“Hi Ben, Rose texted me this afternoon... Maybe we should talk somewhere more private than this...?” Rey said as she approached him, fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

 

Ben’s eyes brightened at seeing Rey, and he responded with a nod, “Hey Rey, that’s probably not a bad idea... We could go to your apartment, but mine’s actually closer. What do you prefer?”

 

“Probably your place. Rose ‘overhears’ everything, apparently,” she answered, making quotation marks in the air when she said overhears, eliciting a chuckle from Ben.

 

During the walk from Takodana to his apartment, Ben started explaining a little about his relationship with his parents, while conceding that he could be less harsh concerning his parents in some respects. Once they arrived at his place, Ben nodded at Rey that she could sit and he started making coffee for the both of them. Hux’s tabby, Millicent, noticed the new woman and eyed her. Rey managed to persuade Millicent onto her lap just as Ben arrived into the den with coffee mugs.

 

“How did you get her to sit with you so quickly? She usually hates people,” Ben commented about the cat as he took a seat.

 

“Maybe she just likes how I smell or something... Not sure... Sweet cat, you didn’t tell me you had one. What’s her name?” Rey asked as she scratched the cat’s head.

 

Ben gave a skeptical look in the cat’s direction and said, “I’m not sure I’d call Millicent sweet. She’s Hux’s cat, actually; that’s why I haven’t mentioned her before... So, you wanted to know more about what happened with what Rose told you last week...?” Rey nodded in response as she took a sip from her mug.

 

Ben took a few seconds to compose his thoughts and started explaining, “Anyway... With getting kicked out of graduate school... My advisor in religious studies, who also happened to be my uncle, told me I needed to take medical leave for a year after I mentioned having recurring suicidal thoughts. When I said no, he kicked me out of the program, saying I wasn’t stable enough for graduate school, and threatened to have me committed to a psychiatric hospital...”

 

He continued, “Snoke, my current advisor, intervened to keep me from getting committed. But, my parents did nothing to stop my uncle, when I needed them the most. I started talking to my mother again a couple years ago, but I rarely talk to Han. He’s just never been a good listener. I’m too emotional for him, it seems. I still don’t have anything to do with my uncle. I’ve been on antidepressants since, and I’m slowly getting better...”

 

“That’s all you had to say, Ben. I’m sure people understand if you’ve had to deal with depression?” Rey answered sympathetically.

 

Ben shrugged, “Others just end up treating me with kid gloves or keeping their distance... It’s just not worth it. I don’t care what others think, anymore... As for the guy in the hospital... You’ve heard of Phasma, haven’t you?”

 

Rey responded with a slight scoff, “Yes, she’s Finn’s T.A. They don’t get along. No offense, I know you’re friends, but she has a reputation for being a hard-ass with all her students. Did she start the fight or something?”

 

Ben shook his head, “There was an end-of-the-year party a few years ago that the archaeology graduate students were holding. Phasma and I didn’t bring guests, but others did. One of these guests was a guy that tried to get her attention all night and wouldn’t stop trying to get more physical with her. I noticed about a few hours in that she was acting drunker than normal, and she doesn’t do any drugs. She was actually completely unable to push him away as I’ve seen her do with other people and seemed to be dozing off. I confronted the guy, he didn’t deny anything, and we got into a fight... I got pulled away after I got him in the nose... Someone else at the party checked the drink when I told those watching what I thought, and it was positive for roofies. So, no one outed me for breaking his nose, and I didn’t get any charges pressed against me.”

 

Rey’s eyes widened in shock, and she remarked, “Whoa... I feel guilty now for asking if it was Phasma’s fault earlier... Just, as you said, she’s intimidating. I meant more like did she throw the first punch rather than... If I saw her being weak, I’d have assumed something similar as you did... I don’t blame you at all. I assume she’s okay now?”

 

Ben nodded, “Exactly. She’s a tall, athletic woman, and she’s stronger than many men I know. It left Phasma pretty shaken up for a while, and she’s extra cautious about how she drinks around others these days. Last I heard, the guy that drugged Phasma actually did end up in jail for a similar incident. But after that party, no one really talked about what happened, and Poe probably just assumed I was throwing a fit or something.”

 

Rey sighed, “Well, Rose did say Poe couldn’t remember specifics... I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions without asking for your side of the story. I do have to admit, though, Rose did mention you breaking things in the lab, which made me wonder if you have anger problems. I understand when it comes to Phasma, but I hope you’re still getting help for your depression and anger issues when you need it?”  

 

“I probably will be for a while, Rey, but will you give me a second chance?” Ben asked with pleading eyes.

 

“Okay, but let’s take it a little more slowly?” Rey remarked. When he agreed, she carefully moved Millicent to the floor, placed her hands on Ben’s face, and kissed him.

 

Before he could return the kiss, the door opened and Hux entered the apartment, exclaiming, “Well, Kylo Ren, who is this?”

 

Ben turned around and responded to Hux with a barely concealed annoyed tone, “Hello Hux, this is Rey, the woman I met from Tinder a few weeks ago... When you set up the profile impersonating me... Rey, this is my roommate, Armitage Hux, but he prefers Hux.”

 

“This is Rey? You’re definitely not a catfish, and it’s nice to meet you,” Hux remarked to Rey with a smug smile.

 

Rey wanted to retort with a sharp comment but decided to not raise tensions after such a heavy discussion. She replied with an awkward wave, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Hux, and Ben’s profile wasn’t deceptive either.”

 

“I still haven’t received a thank you from you for the Tinder account. I did a pretty good job there, Ben,” Hux quipped to his roommate. Ben repressed the urge to tackle Hux and instead led Rey into his room for privacy. A few moments later, while the two were starting to resume their conversation, the door opened and Ben felt something hit his neck before the door closed again.

 

It was a condom packet with a cartoon image of Darth Vader with the caption “I will not be your father.” How long had Hux been holding on to that one? He needed to start thinking of something to get back at Hux at some point...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Quick update this week, because I got the idea last month to write a one-shot in response to a prompt I read on Tumblr for FinnRose week (if anyone wants to read an AU where Rose is a Knight of Ren, as one of Luke’s former padawans that went with Kylo, it’ll be posted on the 20th on FFN and AO3...). It’s turning out to be longer than expected. Writing that (in addition to work projects, etc.) has meant there wouldn’t be another update for this work for a while if I didn’t post now. 
> 
> Hopefully the style isn’t too rushed for this chapter? 
> 
> The next update should be at the end of the month, but here’s a preview summary of the next 2-3 chapters: time jump of 3-4 weeks, Rose and Ben have birthdays the same weekend, Rose has a surprise party, Rey and Ben still haven’t told her brothers about them being together... 
> 
> Thank you for the bookmarks and kudos!
> 
> Have a great week and hope you enjoy!


	9. I'm Hauling Alligators

_One month later on a Thursday afternoon:_

Rey finished her current assignment at an unoccupied table near Ben’s and looked around the empty lab. She had come directly to Supremacy hall after her engineering lab, so she and Ben could leave for dinner together.

 

Ben wasn’t pulling himself away from his work. Even Phasma left the lab just a few minutes ago. Rey gathered up her things into her satchel as she got up from the table and walked over to Ben. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head on his shoulder.

 

“Come on, it’s almost time for us to go. Everyone else is gone. It’s 5:30,” she said. Ben then pulled himself away from Rey so he could turn around in his chair and bring her closer to him.

 

“So you’re saying we have another fifteen minutes? That should be enough time for this....” he responded as he placed several playful kisses from her neck to the parts of her chest exposed by her shirt.

 

“Seriously, Ben!” she exclaimed with a laugh. She jumped onto his lap and straddled him as she drew him into a deeper kiss. After a while, Ben moved his hands down to her butt and brought her hips closer to his own, pushing his hardness against her.  

 

“Hmm... There’s no one around here. You think we have time for a quickie?” Ben suggested with a bit of a mischievous grin.

 

“We can always blame it on the traffic if we’re late,” Rey responded with a smirk as she started to unbutton his shirt. They managed to get their shirts off in between kisses before Ben’s phone gave a chime notification.

 

“Mm... Ignore it,” Rey commented as Ben began to undo her pants. The phone went off again, causing Ben to growl in frustration as he reached for his phone.

 

“Let me just make sure it’s not my parents,” Ben commented as he read over his texts.

 

_JESSIKA: Ahhh! (screaming emoji) I forgot my students’ midterm reports in the lab and they’re supposed to all be graded before tomorrow’s class! Any of you still on campus? If one of you could get my reports, I will be forever grateful and repay you however you wish (within reason)_

_TALLIE: Oh no! So sorry, still downtown!_

“Well, what is it?” Rey asked.

 

“It’s a group text from Jessika to the grad students... She forgot some reports for her students here in the lab and wants someone to bring them to her tonight,” Ben explained as the phone chimed with several more responses.

_PHASMA: Nope. I’m not covering for your scatterbrained ass._

_JESSIKA: Screw you too Phas_

_MITAKA: Sorry, I’m at the dentist. Also, Phasma and Jessika, please keep your drama out of these group texts!_

 

He rolled his eyes and told her, “What a surprise, Phasma and Jessika are insulting each other already. I should answer before this escalates into another one of their fights that gets broadcast to the whole department...”

 

Just before Ben could reply to the group text, Poe chimed in with his response.

 

_POE: Im just getting out of a meeting with Holdo, ill go right down and get them for you Jess!_

 

“Shit, Poe’s on his way down here to pick up Jessika’s reports,” Ben griped, “You’ve got to get out of here.”  

 

“This was going far too well to not get interrupted by someone, least of all my brother... At least we got a text warning,” Rey replied bitterly as she got off Ben’s lap and buttoned up her pants.

 

Once she put on her shirt and got her satchel, Ben remarked, “Maybe meet me at the coffee shop next to Supremacy? I’ll text you when Poe and I both leave.”

 

“Sounds good,” Rey agreed as she gave him a quick peck before leaving the lab. While she climbed the steps from the basement, she encountered Poe making his way down from the professors’ offices upstairs.

 

“Hey Rey! What are you doing around here?” Poe exclaimed with his usual cheerful expression.

 

“Hey Poe! Um... Just checking the lost and found, Rose said she forgot a sweater today...” Rey lied, trying to maintain a calm appearance.

 

“Hope you found it?” he asked.

 

“No, unfortunately... So, what are you doing here so late in the day?” Rey inquired nonchalantly, even though she already knew exactly why Poe was here.

 

“Jess forgot her grading stuff in the lab again, so I volunteered to go get them for her,” he explained to his sister.

 

“Gotcha, well, I won’t keep you, see you Saturday!” she commented, giving Poe a hug before she continued her exit.

 

When Poe entered the lab, he immediately headed straight to Jessika’s workstation, not noticing Ben’s presence in the room.

 

“Hello Poe, nice of you to do that for Jessika,” Ben said as he finished straightening out his clothes, finally getting rid of his erection.

 

“Oh hey Ben! Rough day today?” Poe answered, noticing Ben’s disheveled hair.

 

“Just a long day... About to go get dinner with my parents tonight, they’re in town for my birthday,” Ben shrugged while gathering up his materials.

 

“It’s your birthday today?” Poe asked, stuffing Jess’s papers into his tote.

 

“Not quite, it’s tomorrow... But some of my friends wanted to take me for drinks tomorrow night, because it’s my 30th birthday,” he responded.

 

“The 30s are the best years, man! Well, I’m out. Have a great weekend and happy birthday!” Poe answered with encouragement. Ben returned the wishes for a good weekend to Poe as the two of them left the lab and went their separate ways.

 

......

 

Later that evening, Rey recounted her day to Rose, who listened attentively. She explained how Poe nearly walked in on her and Ben getting it on in the archaeology lab.

 

“You’re one of my best friends, Rey, but this sneaking around is getting ridiculous,” Rose said bluntly, “It’s been over a month and half.”

 

“I know... I just... I wanted to make sure there weren’t any other skeletons in the closet or red flags before I told them...” her roommate sighed with a slightly guilty expression. She knew it was time to tell her family exactly whom she was dating.

 

 

“You promised me you’d tell Poe and Finn about Ben if things got serious. Your brothers have known Ben for a while. They’d say something if he crossed a line,” Rose answered as she placed her hand on Rey’s shoulder reassuringly.

 

“That’s just the thing, Rose! What line is considered too far for my brothers to start threatening castration and telling my parents that he’s treating me horribly?” Rey exclaimed in response.

 

“Hey, you forget I’m with Finn. I’ll back you up, but you’ve got to tell them. Otherwise, I’ll do it myself,” Rose insisted.

 

“Okay... Fine, I’ll do it soon, either this weekend or next week,” Rey acquiesced, bringing a small grin to Rose’s face.

 

“Good,” Rose commented as she gave Rey a reassuring hug, “It’s going to be fine, when all is said and done.”

 

........

 

The next morning, Rey waited at Maz’s Beanery for Finn and Ben to arrive. After her conversation with Rose, Rey and Ben talked over ForceTime about the issue of coming clean to her brothers about their relationship. They decided to tell Finn first, since he was the calmer of the two brothers. Additionally, Rose would keep him in check if he had any kind of overreaction.

 

Rey persuaded Finn to meet her at Maz’s on the premise of discussing Rose’s birthday party that Saturday night without her finding out about the surprise. He had no idea Ben would be at the cafe, too. She anxiously fidgeted with her phone as she looked out the window and waited.

 

Ben was the first to arrive at the cafe, and she happily greeted him with a hug and kiss, “Happy birthday again, Ben! Thank you for agreeing to do this today. I’ll pay you back later tonight...”

 

“Thank you, Rey, and if you mean what I think you do by ‘paying me back,’ I look forward to it,” Ben grinned as he returned her kiss, “Are you still coming to the First Order Pub tonight? Phasma and Hux are being obnoxious and invited some of my archaeology and band friends...”

 

“Ah, so I might meet your knights... Will they be in armor?” Rey teased.

 

“This is too much socializing for the weekend...,” he grumbled.

 

“You only turn 30 once! Keep complaining and I’ll drag you to Rose’s party, too,” she threatened half-jokingly.

 

“Ready to order some coffee?” Ben offered, changing the topic. While the two waited in line and continued chatting, Rey noticed Finn entering and looking around the cafe. She waved her brother over to the line.

 

“Good morning, peanut!” Finn greeted Rey as he pulled her into a hug.  

 

“Good morning, Finn! Thanks for agreeing to get coffee this early,” Rey responded as she hugged him back.

 

“No problem! Anything for you and Rose,” Finn said before he noticed the tall man behind Rey and waved, “Ben? Good morning.”

 

“Morning, Finn... Your studying going well lately?” Ben answered with a wave, not quite sure what to say right at that moment.

 

“Yes, just trying to balance homework with law school applications...,” Finn responded politely before realizing something, “Hold on, have you and Rey met each other yet?”

 

Before Ben could speak, a grizzled man greeted them, “Hey kids, you didn’t tell me you’d be here this morning. Who’s this friend of yours here, Ben?”

 

Ben greeted his father, “Hello Han. This is Rey’s brother, Finn. Finn, this is my father Han Solo.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Finn. It’s my son’s birthday, you know,” Han remarked as he slapped Ben on the back heartily, causing his son give him a quick glare, “I’ll pick up coffee and food for you all. My treat.”

 

“Happy birthday, Ben! Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Solo. That’s nice of you, but it’s really not necessary,” Finn answered but the older man continued to insist until they gave in to his offer. Finn realized that Rey seemed somewhat familiar with Ben and Han, so he tried to figure out a way to ask them how they knew each other.

 

However, not long after the introductions, Chewbacca burst into the cafe and grabbed Han’s attention, “Han, come outside to the back! There are strange noises coming from the truck’s cargo.”  

 

Rey and Ben instinctively followed Han and Chewbacca outside, and Finn decided to go along out of curiosity.

“Don’t tell me an alligator got loose...” Han complained as he headed towards his company truck parked in the cafe’s back parking lot.

 

Finn’s eyes widened with shock as he looked at the truck, labeled _Millenium Falcon Automotives_ , and remarked, “You’re not hauling gators on your truck, are you?”

 

“I’m hauling gators,” Han said in a matter-of-fact manner, not looking at anyone.

 

“Seriously, Han? What’s in it for you?” Ben griped as they reached the truck.

 

Han began explaining as he unlocked and opened the truck’s doors, “My racing friend Prana owns a gator farm, but he’s downsizing. He offered a very good sum for us to get two gators off his hands and take them in the company truck to the Kanjiklub animal sanctuary... Kriff!”

 

Sure enough, there was a gator standing defiantly on the truck bed, with his friend still securely locked in a nearby cage. The gator opened its mouth and defensively hissed at the group, causing them to jump back.

 

“The three of you stand back. Chewie, get the gator snares,” Han commanded as he held a firm hand on the door, keeping an eye on the reptile.

 

While Chewie grabbed the tools, several pigeons flew into the truck and started pecking around the floor. The gator caught and scarfed down a pigeon, causing Rey to cover her mouth in shock. Finn stared in horror at the sight, while Ben gently rubbed Rey’s shoulders, not caring that her brother was next to them.

 

“Get the duct tape, too! It just ate a bird!” Han shouted, seemingly unfazed by the gator’s actions. Once Chewie returned with the snares and the tape, Han handed one of the snares to Ben and told him to help them subdue the gator.

 

“You’re a dead man if mother finds out about this,” Ben snapped as he took the snare from his father.

As the three men got the gator under control, Finn took a deep breath and remarked, “Well, I’m going to go inside and hold a place in the line before it gets longer... Nice to meet you all again.” He walked away from the group, forgetting about Rey’s seeming familiarity with the Solos.

 

Deciding to not leave her brother alone after such a wild scene, Rey waved at the Solo men and Chewbacca taping the gator’s mouth shut. Ben gave Rey an apologetic glance before she entered the building.

 

“No wonder Ben’s crazy. I’d be crazy too if I had to grow up with that,” Finn commented once Rey caught up with Finn inside.

 

“To be fair, they got it all under control in the end... So, Rose’s party tomorrow?” Rey spoke, slowly changing the focus of the topic. The whole alligator ordeal was not necessarily going to give Finn a good opinion of Ben and his family. She and Ben were going to have to break the news to her brothers another day, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There shouldn’t really be another big time jump for this work after this chapter.
> 
> Thank you to all who left kudos, bookmarks, and feedback! 
> 
> Next update should be within 1-1.5 weeks! Constructive feedback and reviews always welcomed!


	10. Birthdays and Surprises

**_Chapter 10: Birthdays and Surprises_ **

 

.......

 

Later that Friday, Ben and Rey arrived at the First Order Pub and quickly found Mitaka seated at a large table in the corner along with a stocky man with heavily tattooed arms and a buzzcut. Mitaka waved at Rey and greeted Ben with birthday wishes while the pair sat themselves down at the table.  

 

The tattooed man greeted Ben with a broad smile, “Happy thirtieth birthday, Kylo! My wife couldn’t make it tonight, but she wishes you a happy birthday too.”

 

“Thank you, Milos. Tell Sarah hello for me. Rey, this is Milos from my band. This is Rey, my girlfriend...?” Ben responded before he glanced over at Rey with a questioning look.

 

Rey seemed unfazed by the term and smiled at Milos, “It’s nice to meet you, Milos. Ben’s told me some things about your band.”  

 

Before the conversation continued, Mitaka spoke up, “We went ahead and ordered some fried mushrooms and loaded nachos for appetizers. If you want to order something else or drinks, our waitress will be back soon.”

 

“Sounds great! Thanks, Mitaka,” Rey answered. Hux, Phasma, and two more of Ben’s band friends, Zila and Nevit, showed up just before the waitress returned to take their drink and food orders.

 

As the evening wore on, Rey found herself engaged heavily in conversation with the “Knights of Ren” band members, who were surprisingly outgoing for people who once played in an emo band. For starters, she found it amusing that Milos was apparently a cardiologist with all of his tattoos, which he admitted to covering up during the day with his uniform.

 

The other two band friends, Zila and Nevit, were co-owners of a music record shop downtown. They struck her as a bit of an odd couple, with Zila being dressed in bold patterns and wearing her black hair in two braided buns in contrast to Nevit with his platinum hair and simple black clothes. Yet, their personalities seemed to complement each other perfectly.

 

Still, Rey enjoyed hearing stories about their escapades during high school and beyond. As they worked on their dinners, Milos excused himself and caught Ben’s attention.

 

“Ben, I’m going to head out now. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, and I promised Sarah that I’d pick up nutella and doritos on the way back... It’s her latest craving,” Milos explained.

 

“Why didn’t Sarah come with you tonight?” Phasma asked bluntly after Ben thanked Milos for joining them that night.

 

“She’s eight months pregnant, and she had a rough day. She wanted to rest. It was great to see you all tonight, and we should get together more often,” Milos answered just before he waved at the group and departed.

 

“You know, I just gotta say this, you and Ben would make cute babies,” Phasma said suddenly to Rey before she took a sip from her beer.

 

Rey blanched at the comment, “Thank you... but babies aren’t in the picture for a very long time.”

 

“Phasma, can you not suggest that Ben reproduces?” Hux interjected loudly.

 

Before Ben could retort, Mitaka chimed in, “Did any of you see the Dodgers game last night?”

 

.......

 

The following day, the Tico family arrived in town for Rose’s birthday, and Finn went along with the Ticos during the day. Finn and Paige took extra caution to keep Rose away from his apartment as Poe and Rey set up the place for Rose’s party.

 

After an early dinner, Rose’s parents headed back to their home in Santa Barbara, while Paige and Rose headed back to Finn’s place under the guise of a small gathering at his apartment for cake.

 

“Too bad you both have a midterm on Tuesday, but I’m sure you’ll do great,” Paige said.

 

Rose responded, “Thanks, Pae-pae. So, any luck on finding tickets to Vietnam for our parents for a family trip this summer?”

 

“Yes, and guess what else? Naboo airlines is having a sale on tickets to Italy this summer.”

 

“Hm, I know Rey mentioned wanting to go visit Finn in Ireland when he excavates with Dr. Skywalker this summer... It’s the same one Finn did last summer, and he wanted to go again before starting law school. Maybe they could meet up with us, too?”    

 

“We should make it happen! Dr. Skywalker wants to try to visit Skellig Michael at some point, but there’s a big movie filming there this summer, apparently. Rey’s been talking about visiting Cyprus, too. Kind of random if you ask me,” Finn answered as they drew closer to his apartment complex.  

 

“Well, you all need to let me know as soon as possible. The sale’s only for one more week...” Paige responded as the car pulled into the complex’s garage.

 

The trio grabbed their leftovers and headed up to the apartment. Rose couldn’t help but notice a higher number of cars in the garage’s visitor spaces and outside the complex as she walked up the stairs. Before she could speculate further on the reason for the crowded garage, a chorus of voices overwhelmed her once Finn opened the door.  

 

“SURPRISE!” “Happy birthday Rose!”

 

Rose shrieked in shock, “No way! You didn’t have to do all this!”

 

Rose began gratefully thanking and greeting all of the people in attendance as she took in her surroundings. There were at least thirty people crowded into the apartment, trays full of her favorite foods, and plenty of 20th birthday signs and decorations posted around the place.

 

Rey quickly lit the candles on a large birthday cake and presented it to Rose as everyone sang the birthday song.

 

A couple of hours into the party, Jessika crept up on Rey and threw an arm around her shoulder. Poe’s partner-in-crime took a sip from her drink and suggested, “This party needs some more drinking games, don’t you think?”

 

“Not really... Rose seems to be enjoying herself, and everyone’s chatting. There’s still plenty of food and drinks,” Rey responded.

 

“Nah, this party definitely needs some rounds of beer pong. Come help me drag that table outside,” Jessika said as she tugged on Rey’s arm.

 

“No! That’ll make the neighbors call the cops on us again. They did that last year with Poe’s birthday,” Rey exclaimed.

 

Jessika rolled her eyes and answered, “Don’t be such a party pooper. I’ll get someone else to help me.”

 

Rey gave Jessika a side-eyed glance as she walked away to recruit others to set up the table with her. Rey sighed and headed into the refrigerator to grab another pint from Poe’s current craft beer stash.

 

“That’s my good beer, Rey! Don’t drink it all,” Poe commented, snapping Rey out of her thoughts.

 

“Then you should have gotten more of that, and not so much of this Hutt Lite beer,” Rey answered, slightly annoyed at her brother’s orders.

 

“Since when did you turn into a beer snob?” Poe teased, “Next time, I’ll get extra for you.”

 

“I just like this kind better, that’s all,” Rey shrugged before she walked to Rose and a group of engineering friends.

 

After Jessika played a second round of beer pong with Paige, who was now demanding a third round since she’d never lost a round in the past, Poe caught up with Finn, “Is it just me or is Rey acting strange today?”

 

Finn shrugged, “I haven’t noticed anything weird. Why?”

 

“For starters, she kept asking really specific and technical questions about my excavations and projects, such as what kind of methodology I was using and opinions cultural resource management,” Poe answered.

 

“Maybe she picked it up from one of Rose’s textbooks?”

 

“Well, also tonight, she’s being super picky about her drinks, and I spent fifteen minutes listening to Jessika complaining about Rey being a spoilsport. Then again, it’s Jessika.”

 

“Maybe Rey’s just stressed or tired. And to be fair, people change their tastes all the time,” Finn suggested just before a crash rang out and caused the party to turn silent. He turned around to see Paige on the ground with a pained expression as she clutched her right arm.

 

“Paige! What happened?” Rose shouted over the din of voices as she rushed to her sister, “Are you okay?”

 

“I think so... Someone bumped into me, I tripped on something, and my arm slammed on the table’s corner really hard when I fell... It hurts like shit,” Paige answered with a grimace.

 

Rose gently assisted her sister to her feet and led her to a chair. After she grabbed an ice pack for Paige’s arm, Rose realized that Paige was unusually inebriated tonight.

 

“Paige? How many drinks have you had tonight?” Rose asked.

 

“Ummm.... About three before this game? And that was my third round? Jessika beat me twice, so I wanted to try one more time. You know I hate losing,” Paige stated with a sheepish grin.

 

“I know, but you’ve had too much to drink. Why don’t you go back to my place and get some rest? Rey can go with you, since I’m staying here tonight. Finn, get Paige some water, please,” Rose said before she walked away to find her roommate.  

 

Rose found Rey near some engineering friends and asked her, “Rey, Paige is way too drunk right now. She got really competitive with Jessika, which caused her to get drunk enough to fall and hit her arm on the table. She should go to bed soon... Can you go home with her and make sure she’s okay tonight?”

 

Rey nodded, “Sure, but I’m still pretty tipsy... I’ll call someone to come pick us up, okay?”

 

“Great! Thank you so much.”  

 

“No problem,” Rey answered as she texted Ben to request a ride back to her apartment, not thinking twice about the implications of explaining his presence at the Damerons’ place when he arrived.

......

 

Ben headed to his car as soon as he finished texting Rey, only to spot Hux’s car behind his own in the tandem space. He hadn’t anticipated Rey calling him that evening, so he went back upstairs.

 

Once he returned into the apartment, he noticed Phasma filling up two glasses of wine, and asked her, “Can you tell Hux to come downstairs and move his car out of the way? I need to go pick up Rey.”

 

“Sure,” Phasma responded as she entered Hux’s room with the wine glasses. Ben went back downstairs to the garage, waiting for Hux to show up and move the car. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. Hux still hadn’t arrived.  

 

Ben went back upstairs and found that the door to Hux’s bedroom was closed. He walked up to the door, jiggled the doorknob, but the door was locked.   He could clearly hear laughing and screaming going on in the room, causing him to roll his eyes.

 

Ben shouted impatiently, “Hux, I need to go now! Rey has no one else to drive her back tonight!”

 

“Just tell her to call an uber!” Hux shouted back.

 

Ben gritted his teeth and banged at the door, “You two can quit fucking long enough to go move the damn car.”

 

The noises suddenly stopped and a few minutes later, Hux exited his room with disheveled hair, a sloppily thrown on shirt, and a disgruntled expression. Without saying a word, Hux headed straight for the door and Ben followed him out of the apartment.

 

.......

 

Ten minutes later, Finn waited outside his building with Rey and Paige. A black car pulled up the front, and he saw a familiar face at the driver’s seat. The driver texted something into his phone, and Rey’s phone buzzed shortly afterwards.

 

“Did you call Ben Solo to give you guys a ride...?” Finn asked his sister as he frowned in confusion.

 

“Yes. He didn’t have anything else going on... Oh shit...” Rey answered before she covered her face with her hands, realizing her mistake.

 

“I knew something was up at Maz’s yesterday... How do you and Ben know each other?” Finn asked incredulously as he helped Paige to her feet.

 

“Finn, I’ve been dating him for over a month... Look, tonight’s about Rose. I don’t want this to take away from her birthday. Can we talk more about this tomorrow?” Rey pleaded as they reached her car.

 

“Okay, peanut. But, I expect the full story, and please don’t hide something like this from me again,” Finn responded before he opened the car door and addressed Ben, catching him off guard, “Ben, you better not do anything stupid to either of them. I’ll kill you and make sure your remains are never found again if anything happens to either of them, understand?”

 

“Finn!” Rey exclaimed.

 

“They’ll be fine, Finn. I’ll have Rey call you once we all get back to her place,” Ben commented in an attempt to reassure Rey’s brother.

 

Finn scowled at Ben before he addressed his sister, “Rey, keep Rose posted on Paige. Make sure she gets enough water, okay? Love you!”

 

“Will do! Love you too!” Rey responded before she closed the car door. Finn shook his head in disbelief as the car departed and he reentered his building.

 

Finn would talk with Rose about this once the party ended. Rey was right, though, it was Rose’s birthday. His girlfriend genuinely seemed to enjoy the day, so Finn would have to choose his words and timing carefully when asking her about Rey and Ben dating.

 

Still, Finn would entirely avoid telling Poe tonight, since Poe would probably immediately hop into his car and go confront Ben Solo. He loved his brother, but even he had to admit Poe could be rather impulsive and reckless at times.

 

.........

 

The next morning, Poe pulled up his car in front of Ben Solo’s apartment. Ben called him the previous day to ask for some textbooks for his Monday sections, and Poe promised to drop them off today. He still had to clean his apartment after the party, so this was the best time to get this specific errand completed. After all, he didn’t want to risk Ben getting stressed and losing his temper if he received the books too late in the day.

 

After Poe knocked on the door, Ben’s redheaded roommate, Hux, opened the door.

 

“Yes?” Hux asked grumpily as he rubbed his eyes, “Why are you here at this hour?”

 

“I just wanted to drop off these textbooks for Ben, since he needed them for tomorrow. I have to finish cleaning up my place today,” Poe answered.

 

“Ben is at his girlfriend’s apartment, I believe,” Hux remarked casually.

 

Poe lifted his eyebrows in surprise and replied, “Huh. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend now... Is it the same girl he went on a date with from Tinder?”

 

Hux smirked, “I thought you knew by now, since he’s dating your sister, Rey."

 

.......

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> Note: Thank you all for your patience, kudos, bookmarks, comments, and subscriptions! I’m feeling much better, health wise, too. I’m hoping to update this on a weekly basis this month until it’s complete.
> 
>  
> 
> Nevit and Zila are reused from my one-shot. I pictured Zila wearing her hair like Shuri from “Black Panther,” and it’s a great excuse to write in Leia-style (Shuri-style?) buns once again here.
> 
>  
> 
> By the way, if you’re a Finn/Rose fan, the TLJ novel is highly recommended! It has many more Finn/Rose scenes, and there’s more on Rose and Paige’s backstory. As always feel free to leave feedback, and hope you all enjoy this chapter!


	11. Poe Needs to Chill

**_Chapter 11: Poe Needs to Chill_ **

 

The first time the doorbell rang, Rey simply ignored it and drew herself closer to Ben, curling up against his chest. However, the doorbell continued to buzz repetitively, prompting Rey to roll away and throw off the covers on her side.

 

“Who the hell does that on a Sunday morning?” Rey griped as she rubbed her eyes blearily and left the bedroom to answer the front door.

 

As she adjusted her tank top, she peered through the window. She saw Poe waiting outside the door, fidgeting impatiently. That struck her as odd, as he usually called her or Rose in advance to signal his arrival.

 

Opening the door, she began to greet her brother, “Good morning Poe, why—”

 

“Where’s Ben Solo?” Poe interrupted firmly.

 

“ _What?_ I—You seriously came here at this hour and went crazy with the doorbell just to ask that?” Rey replied, flustered and annoyed at the sudden question. Poe ignored her and pushed his way into the apartment, looking around the kitchen and den, which were both empty.

 

He then walked over to Rey’s room, prompting her to protest, “Hey! Stay out of my room! I didn’t say you could go in there!”  

 

Since Rey’s door was still open, Poe immediately saw Ben, who just rolled out of bed and wore nothing but black boxers with pattern of red lightsabers.

 

“How long were you going to keep taking advantage of my sister?” Poe asked angrily, staring at the other man as if to challenge him to respond.

 

Ben raised his eyebrows at Poe’s reaction and answered drily, “Wasn’t aware you were Rey’s gatekeeper...”

 

“Get out of this room now, you son of a bitch!” Poe demanded. He walked towards Ben and shoved him roughly.

 

Being taller, Ben barely budged and shoved Poe back, “Let me put my clothes back on first.” Poe grabbed Ben’s clothes and threw them out of the room. As Rey scrambled to catch the clothes, she spotted Poe yanking at Ben’s arm aggressively.

 

“Stop it, Poe! Calm down and take a seat first!” Rey exclaimed just before Ben brought his free hand down forcefully on Poe’s wrist, causing him to release his grip on Ben’s arm. Poe swore as he shook his wrist and threw a retaliatory punch at Ben’s shoulder.

 

As the fighting threatened to escalate further, Rey quickly jumped into the action and began trying to separate the two men from each other. While this took place, Rose and Finn barged into the apartment and quickly joined Rey in forcing Ben and Poe into separate seats. 

“Well, talk about timing,” Rey remarked as she settled on the couch near Ben.

 

Taking the cue, Rose explained, “Poe called us from Ben’s apartment when he was dropping off some textbooks. He said Ben’s roommate told him about Ben being here and being Rey’s boyfriend. We left as soon as Poe told us he was coming here.”

 

“Hux told you?” Ben asked Poe, immediately wondering if Hux did it out of spite because of the parking issue the previous night.

 

“Isn’t that Rose just said?” Poe snapped.

 

“Okay, let’s back up some more here. How did you two meet in the first place?” Finn asked Rey and Ben.

 

“Fucking Tinder!” Poe informed his brother, raising his voice, “Dammit, Ben. I was at your place when you got back from one of these dates over a month ago. I’ve heard you talking about dates and a girlfriend since. You’ve been with my sister behind my back all this time?”

 

Before anyone in the living room could speak or reply to Poe, Paige exited Rose’s room and complained, “Ugh, can you all be quieter or take it outside? I have a raging headache...”

 

“Paige, did you know about this?” Poe asked as he watched her walking towards the bathroom. Rose got up quickly to get Paige a glass of water.

 

“About what?” Paige answered as she settled on a kitchen table chair with a bottle of tylenol and accepted the water, “Thanks, sissy.”

 

“Rey’s boyfriend,” Poe said simply.

 

“Ben? Only because he’s been around here. He drove us home last night,” Paige commented calmly, having taken her water and medicine.

 

“Rose, has Ben been here before?” Finn asked his girlfriend.

 

Rey groaned in exasperation and spoke up, “Yes, Rose and Paige already knew about Ben and saw him here. I met Ben on Tinder. I checked in with Rose before I went on any date, just in case. I promised her I’d tell you guys if things got serious. We had a big argument about two weeks after the first date. So I wanted to wait a little longer and see how things went with Ben after that. And honestly, Poe, the way you’ve been acting this morning only justifies my waiting to tell you.”

 

Poe crossed his arms and scowled at Rey’s confession, mulling over her words. The room remained silent for a few minutes, with everyone fidgeting in some way. Paige’s snoring broke the silence.

 

“Glad to see Paige is doing okay this morning... She drank way too much last night. Ben, thank you for driving her and Rey back from the party,” Rose said, glancing over at her sister snoozing at the table.

 

“No problem,” Ben responded.

 

“Thank you for bringing them here in one piece, Ben,” Finn added, Rose to smack him lightly on the arm in response.

 

Poe sighed, finally speaking up again, “Rey, when you were at that charity party, you were there with Ben? I knew there was no way you arrived with that guy you pointed out to me...”

 

Rey nodded, “Yes...”

 

“And when I ran into you at Supremacy Hall?” Poe asked further.

 

“Poe, I’m twenty years old. I don’t need to report everything I do alone or with others to you,” Rey snapped.

 

“Can you at least let me know if you and Ben end up getting married? Or will that be a secret too?” Poe retorted.

 

Unexpectedly, Finn raised his voice at his brother, “Poe, stop! While I think she should have told us sooner, Rey’s right. She’s an adult, and she doesn’t need to be supervised like she’s two.”

 

“So you’re completely fine with the fact that Rey’s with some jackass that can’t be trusted to not hurt her when he destroys lab equipment all the time and got kicked out of his last program for being crazy?” Poe responded.

 

“That’s not what I—,” Finn answered before Ben interrupted.

 

“Poe, I won’t deny breaking lab equipment, but what happened in my last program is extremely personal and none of your fucking business. That was also more than seven years ago. I didn’t hide any of this from Rey, if that’s your concern.”

 

Poe huffed at Ben’s response as he got up from his seat, “I’m going home and taking BB-Ate for a walk.”

 

Poe then proceeded to walk out of the apartment, slamming the door and causing Paige to wake up once again. After listening to Paige grumble about noise again and move back into Rose’s room, Finn spoke directly to Ben, “I guess you’re not that bad if Rey can put up with you... Please tell me you’re getting some help for your issues.”

 

“Finn!” Rey and Rose exclaimed together while Ben rolled his eyes and put his face in his hands.

 

“Okay, okay! Why don’t we move on from this conversation... Um, has anyone had coffee yet this morning?” Finn offered, finally breaking some of the tension from the sudden turn of events.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Next update will be in two weeks! Only three more chapters to go now. Thank you for all the follows, bookmarks, and kudos! Please feel free to let me know in the comments what you think of the chapter or if you have any feedback/questions! Have a great week, everyone!


	12. No Such Thing As Coincidence

****

**_Chapter 12: No Such Thing As Coincidence_ **

 

Two days later, Finn arrived at the auditorium for the midterm fifteen minutes early, so he could review without the anxiety from rushing to get to the classroom on time. He thankfully found the space mostly empty and claimed his usual spot within the room. He also put his backpack in a chair two spaces away from his to reserve it for Rose, who always showed up just before the hour started.  

 

The room gradually filled and began buzzing with conversations, shuffling papers, and ruffling bags. Finn glanced at his watch. Five minutes to go. He stretched and saw Ben organizing the blue books at the front. Ben noticed Finn and nodded at him in an awkward greeting. Finn returned the gesture, no less awkwardly.  

 

As Finn returned to reviewing his note cards, he heard a girl behind him comment, “Oh em gee, did you see that? He totally looked in my direction,”

 

Another girl, her friend perhaps, answered, “You are delusional.”

 

Finn shook his head at the girls’ mindless chatter and flipped to his next notecard.

 

The first girl asserted insistently, “No, I’m not! Ben just looked my way!”

 

Finn’s ears picked up on that latest remark and tried to stifle a chuckle. So, it seemed that when Ben had looked at him, the girl thought he was looking in her direction. The gaze wasn’t even romantic or flirty in any sense of the word. He tried to focus on his cards as the girls behind him continued yammering away.

 

“If he wasn’t my TA, I’d have jumped his bones already.”

 

“I’m with you there. I could just stare at him all day long. Poe too.”

 

“I’d love to see what’s under those pants.”

 

That final comments brought back to Finn’s mind the memory of seeing Ben wearing nothing but freaking lightsaber boxers while he was at Rose and Rey’s apartment. He had only just recently gotten that mental image out of his mind. It was bad enough to have an awkward conversation with Rey and Ben about their relationship, but his state of undress hadn’t helped the mood either.

 

He glanced up at Ben talking with Professor Holdo, and his mind immediately envisioned Ben in this same room wearing those same boxers. Great. Now he would have to take the test and try once again to keep out that mental image.  

 

A light tap on his shoulder shook Finn from his train of thought. He reached over to remove his backpack from the reserved chair and greeted Rose with a quick kiss. He asked her, “Are you ready for the test?”

 

While Rose set up her writing space, she answered, “As ready as I’ll ever be! How about you?”

 

Finn replied, pushing his notecards into his backpack, “Same, especially if I can stop literally imagining Ben in his underwear whenever I see him in this classroom.”

 

Rose looked at her boyfriend as if he was crazy, “Uh, that was two days ago, but okay.”

 

Before Finn could respond, Holdo called the class to attention and spoke, “Good morning everyone! Before we start the midterm, I have an announcement for Phasmas’ students. Phasma is out sick this week, so you can hand in your midterms to Ben or Poe. They will give them to her once she recovers. As for your sections, Ben and Poe have agreed to cover for Phasma this week, so you will still have sections as planned. Now, on to the midterm...”  

..........

 

Poe headed directly downstairs to the lab once the midterm ended and all the students handed in their tests. Settling down into his chair, he pulled out the stack of midterms from his satchel and immediately began separating the tests, one stack with Phasmas’ students’ tests and the other his own students’. When he reached the test with Rose’s signature, an idea came to him.

 

If Phasma had the flu, odds were she would barely notice a couple of missing tests. Last time Poe had the flu, he had such a bad flu brain that for nearly a month he got constant reminders or corrections for mistakes he made during his illness and recovery. He could sneak out Finn and Rose’s midterms, grade them himself, and sneak them back somehow once they were ready to be returned. If Phasma didn’t have their grades, Finn and Rose could “remind” her of them or Poe would figure out something. He placed Rose’s test into his own stack and did the same with Finn’s test.

 

Poe worked at his desk until it was time for him to cover Phasma’s second afternoon section. He noticed Ben walking into the lab, returning from the first section, but chose to not acknowledge him while he packed up his own things and left the room.

............

 

Rey entered Ben’s apartment on Friday evening with her backpack in hand, stuffed with clothes for the next day as she intended to spend the night with him. Since that past Sunday, they were overdue for peaceful night where overprotective brothers interrupted neither of them. Nor drunk friends, for that matter, as they had to tend to Paige in the middle of the night the previous weekend, but there was no telling what Hux was up to tonight, either.   

 

After greeting Ben with a long kiss, Rey noticed the bamboo swords leaning in the corner next to the window. She bounded over to the corner and picked up the swords. Pointing one sword in Ben’s direction, she suggested, “You know what, it’s been a while since we’ve practiced together... Whoever yields first pays for dinner tonight?”

 

“Well, before we start, I’ll gladly accept your offer to buy dinner tonight,” Ben teased as he accepted the sword from Rey, knowing his comment would rile her up and make the practice more intense. Sure enough, Rey threw all of her energy into the mock duel, and Ben responded with equal intensity. The two engaged in various lunges and parries for a good amount of time before Rey found herself in a tricky spot, finding it difficult to move her own sword any other way.

 

Ben leaned forward and asked, looking into Rey’s eyes intently, “Ready to yield now, sweetheart? I could teach you some more of these moves. There’s more where that came from...”

 

Rey simply closed her eyes in thought, still pushing her sword back against Ben’s, before she quickly made a move that effectively disarmed him and sent him backwards to the ground. She wasted no time in pouncing on him and said with a broad grin, “Thank _you_ for dinner tonight, my Ben. And I can teach you my moves next time.”

 

Ben pulled Rey in to kiss her quickly before they got up to order their meal. They had already agreed earlier to keep things low key that evening, since last weekend had been anything but. So tonight, they settled on ordering Chinese take-out and a X-Men movie marathon, since they were currently debating on which character was the best.

 

While they waited for their food to arrive, they began talking rather than paying attention fully to Logan’s interactions with Rogue on the screen. Rey randomly chimed in at the beginning of the scene, looking up to Ben, “Remember how Leia told us she knew my parents last week at dinner?”

 

Ben nodded in response, prompting her to continue speaking, “I talked to my mom last night... As I’ve told you before, she and my dad already knew I was dating, just not the specifics. She confirmed that she used to work for Leia before she moved to San Diego, and she also said that my dad went to college with your uncle.”

 

“Didn’t know about your dad. It’s always hard to tell when it’s a coincidence or fate... I’m not sure I believe in coincidence anymore, especially when it comes to you,” Ben answered as he stroked Rey’s hair lightly.    

 

“Same here. It seems like some force wanted us to meet, one way or another,” Rey grinned in response.

 

“Did your mom say anything about Poe’s reaction this week to finding out about us?” Ben asked with a slight tone of concern.

 

Rey sighed, “Mom thinks Poe overreacted, but she also thinks he will get over it soon. If he doesn’t, she’ll talk to him about it. It seems like Finn is getting impatient with Poe, too. It’ll probably blow over sooner rather than later. At least I hope so.”

 

In response, Ben gave her a light kiss and brought her closer to him, enjoying the warmth of her body against his own. As Rogue and Logan finished up their conversation on the screen, Rey remembered something and spoke up, “Ben? Did you ever hear more about the document that Jessika and others are writing up against Snoke?”

 

He paused the movie before he answered her, “They’re almost done with the draft and still trying to get me or one of his other students to pitch in.   I’m tempted to add in my account to their letter, especially after he pretty suggested today that I rewrite the chapter I’m working on now and implied that he’d push my defense to next year.”

 

Rey looked at him wide-eyed, “Seriously? That’s ridiculous, Ben. I’m sorry you have to deal with that bullshit. I’m not in your department, but Holdo never treats Poe that way. You don’t have to bow down to him anymore. I’ll support you, whatever you do.”

 

“Thanks Rey,” Ben bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows in thought before replying further, “I guess I really don’t have anything else to lose at this point. The question is whether or not anyone else in the department would be willing to take me on so late without any further delays.”

 

Not long after Ben spoke, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their food. Once the couple set up their food, they resumed their movie marathon and set aside the heavy talk for another day, simply enjoying each other’s company.

...........

 

Phasma found herself at Hux and Ben’s apartment on Sunday afternoon, sorting through the midterms while seated on the couch next to Hux. Ben had brought over the midterms for her and kept them at his place so as to avoid possible contamination with flu viruses. Phasma was finally feeling clear-headed enough to focus on grading and academic duties. Plus, she was past the contagious phase, even if she still had an annoying, lingering cough.

 

As she finished counting the midterms, she noticed three missing exams. That number struck her as strange. She only knew of one student who missed the midterm, claiming to have overslept and completely forgot that he had a test. Naturally, she refused to allow him a make-up midterm.  

 

Pulling up a notepad, Phasma began making a list of names as she recounted the midterms. Once finished, she noticed that Finn and Rose were the remaining two students with missing tests. She found that unusual, especially since their attendance was generally perfect.

 

She immediately texted Poe and Ben, asking whether or not Finn and Rose were present for the midterm at all that day. They both confirmed their presence. Phasma sent another text to them, _Is there any way they got misplaced into your stacks or left behind at the lab?_

She quickly got responses from her fellow TAs.

_BEN: I’ll check here in the lab now. You can look through my stack. It should be on my desk in my room. I don’t think I have them, though._

_POE: Sorry, I don’t have them. Already checked._

 

While Phasma waited for Ben’s findings, she took the chance to check through his midterms, and to double-check, but the tests simply weren’t there. She heard her phone chime in the other room, and she walked back to check on it.

 

_BEN: Sorry, Phasma, they’re not here in the lab._

Phasma sighed in frustration, sending two separate texts this time. To Ben, she thanked him for checking and confirmed she couldn’t find them in his room. To Poe, she asked if he was really certain that he didn’t have them. Poe continued to insist that he didn’t have them either.

 

Phasma plopped back down on the couch and commented to Hux, barely concealing her anxiety, “No one has these two tests. I don’t know what to do now. How does that happen, anyway?”

 

Hux glanced at Phasma sympathetically before suggesting, “Maybe they fell out somewhere or got thrown out with some other materials by accident. Why don’t you try contacting Holdo? Do you have her phone number?”

 

Phasma ran a hand through her hair in resignation, answering, “Maybe so. I still think it just doesn’t make sense, Hux. But, yes, I have her phone number. You’re right. I can call Holdo and see what can be done.”

.......

 

A few hours later at the Damerons’ apartment, Finn received an unexpected email in his inbox from Professor Holdo while he was working on his paper. He had to read the email twice to make sure he understood it correctly. Confirming that the words on the screen were in fact real, he shouted out to his brother in the other room, “Poe! Come over here for a second! I just got a strange email from Holdo!”

 

Poe shortly came over to Finn’s room, with BB-Ate along his side, and glanced over the email on Finn’s laptop screen.

 

 _From: Amilyn Holdo (_ _amilyn.holdo@cu.edu_ _)_

 _To: Finn Dameron (_ _finn.dameron@cu.edu_ _), Rose Tico (rose.tico@cu.edu)_

 _CC: Phasma G. Parnassos (PGParnassos@cu.edu); Ben Organa Solo (benOS@cu.edu); Poe Dameron (_ _Poe.Dameron@cu.edu_ _)_

_Dear Finn and Rose,_

_It has just arrived to my attention that your midterms are missing. Unfortunately, none of the TA’s have your midterms after looking extensively._

_I know you were both in attendance for the midterm last Tuesday, so your presence is not in question. I talked with the TAs, and Ben Solo has agreed to proctor a make-up midterm for you both. Instead of section next week, you can go retake your midterm during that time. I apologize for the trouble._

_Do feel free to email me if you have any further questions._

_Best,_

_Professor Holdo_

 

Poe blanched as he reviewed Holdo’s email. He didn’t actually expect this to get so far, and he certainly didn’t want to force Finn and Rose to study for and retake a midterm due to his own actions. He quickly commented, “There must have been a mistake. I’ll go recheck my midterms, okay? Maybe I got them mixed up.”

 

He went into his room and waited a few minutes before sending out a new email in response.

 

 _From: Poe Dameron (_ _Poe.Dameron@cu.edu_ _)_

 _To: Amilyn Holdo (_ _amilyn.holdo@cu.edu_ _); Finn Dameron (_ _FinnStorm@gmail.com_ _);_ _Rose Tico (_ _MechanicalRose@gmail.com_ _)_

_CC: Phasma G. Parnassos (PGParnassos@cu.edu); Ben Organa Solo (benOS@cu.edu)_

_Hi Amilyn,_

_Actually, it turns out I have Finn and Rose’s tests right here with me at my apartment! They don’t need to retake the midterm. It’s all good now._

_Best,_

_Poe_

 

...........

 

Shortly afterwards, back at Ben and Hux’s apartment, Phasma read over Poe’s latest email and exclaimed in a mix of shock and outrage, “What the hell...?”

 

“What is it?” Hux inquired.

 

“Check out what Poe sent,” Phasma remarked as she passed over her laptop to her boyfriend.

 

Hux scowled as he read over the email and commented, “You know, there’s no way it’s a coincidence that Poe Dameron had the tests belonging to his brother and his brother’s girlfriend all this time.”

 

“Nope, and I’m going to say something about this right now,” Phasma answered, furiously typing away on her computer.

 

_From: Phasma G. Parnassos (PGParnassos@cu.edu)_

_To: Amilyn Holdo (_ _amilyn.holdo@cu.edu_ _)_

 _CC: Poe Dameron (Poe._ _Dameron@cu.edu_ _); Ben Organa Solo (benOS@cu.edu)_

 

_Dear Amilyn,_

_I am not CC’ing this to Finn and Rose as it would be extremely unprofessional for me to point out in front of undergraduate students that Poe lied to both me and Ben about this. Multiple times. He was absolutely insistent that he didn’t have the tests._

_I find it rather suspicious that these two tests are the only one missing from my exam stack. And Poe just happened to find them at his apartment when you emailed all of us!_

_Sincerely,_

_Phasma_

..........

 

In the meantime, at the lab in Supremacy Hall, Ben Solo heard a ding from his computer notifying him of a new email. Hopefully it wasn’t from Snoke, as he was about to wrap things up and call it a day. Good thing, it wasn’t, but the email wasn’t exactly positive in his opinion either.

 

 _From: Amilyn Holdo (_ _amilyn.holdo@cu.edu_ _)_

 _To: Phasma G. Parnassos (PGParnassos@cu.edu); Ben Organa Solo (benOS@cu.edu); Poe Dameron (_ _Poe.Dameron@cu.edu_ _)_

_Dear Poe, Phasma, and Ben,_

_This type of discussion is best held in person rather than over email._

_Since there is such a disagreement over who has which tests, I’ve come up with a solution. All of you can meet me at my house on Saturday afternoon, and we will grade all the midterms together._

_I know some professors who use this grading method, and it seems to be an ideal way to handle this situation.   I will provide lunch and coffee._

_In the meantime, I would like to speak with each of you individually this week. Please email me to set up these meetings._

_Best,_

_Amilyn Holdo_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  Apologies for the slight delay! I had a bit of a writer’s block with this chapter. Only two more chapters to go now (the ending and epilogue). I have to admit that I can’t promise a quick update for these two chapters (or my in-verse fic), since I have an upcoming deadline very soon for another project.   They’ll definitely be updated as soon as that project is done, however!
> 
>    
> Once again, thank you for all the kudos, subscribes, bookmarks, and feedback! It’s greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful weekend!


	13. Don't Mess with Holdo

**_Chapter 13: Don’t Mess with Holdo_ **

.........

 

Poe was the first to meet with Amilyn that week, opting to get the meeting out of the way by scheduling it for Tuesday. Tuesday morning before lecture began, in fact, so he could have an excuse to keep the meeting as short as possible, knowing full well that Amilyn would be tough on him when they met.

 

He ran up the stairs and walked briskly to his advisor’s office, rapping on the partly opened door to alert her to his arrival. Once he heard Amilyn call out, he bounded in with his usual energy and greeted her cheerfully.

 

While Poe put down his bag and took his seat, Amilyn briefly greeted him back and went straight to the point as she asked, “Do you have anything to say about what went on this past weekend?”

 

The sharp tone of her direct question caught Poe slightly off guard. He straightened himself up in his seat and looked at her confidently in the eye before answering, “With the tests? I just had them in my stack. I must not have seen them earlier.”

 

Amilyn smirked slightly before prodding further, asking, “So you just happened to tell Phasma and Ben you were unable to find the tests until the possibility of Finn and Rose retaking the midterm came up?”

 

“What makes everyone think I was lying? Mistakes happen all the time,” Poe replied with a shrug, his eyes still unwavering in their confidence.

 

Amilyn was equally confident in holding her eye contact with Poe. Calmly, she said, “I never said you were lying.”

 

Poe looked down at the floor briefly, beginning to feel slightly flustered and under increasing pressure. He could keep insisting that he had done nothing until he finally convinced his advisor that it was all a mistake. Then again, if he told the truth, he would be able to finally out Phasma and her propensity for taking unfair grading measures against her students.

 

Poe took a deep breath and returned his attention to Amilyn, who looked at him with a questioning expression. He nodded, “I retained Finn and Rose’s tests while sorting out the tests for Phasma. I planned to return them later, and I didn’t think she’d notice they were missing.”

 

Crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair, Amilyn huffed, “What were you thinking?! You know this kind of behavior is unacceptable.”

 

Unshaken by his advisor’s reaction, Poe responded, “I had good reasons for doing this. Phasma’s known to grade her students very harshly, and Finn already had to drop a class where she was responsible for grading his work. She’s only repeated this behavior this year. She made Finn rewrite a perfectly solid paper proposal because she didn’t think it had enough evidence by her standards. I know Finn and Rose have been putting in their best efforts for this class, and they don’t need to be failing because of Phasma’s ridiculous standards. None of the other TAs treat their students like she does.”

 

“It doesn’t matter whether or not you think she’s too tough on her students. If you have a problem with another colleague, you report to me or another supervisor. You do not, under any circumstances, steal their work!” Amilyn replied angrily.

 

“So, you’re just going to let her get away with this kind of bullshit?” Poe snapped, slamming his hand on the desk in front of him.

 

Unflinching, Amilyn responded, “Watch your language, Poe. This isn’t the only reason I wanted to talk with you today. Phasma tells me that you’ve been spreading... what do you call those captioned pictures?”

 

“Memes?” Poe frowned in thought before raising his eyebrows after realizing what his advisor meant, “Just one that my broth—Just one, Amilyn.”

 

Amilyn picked up on Poe’s change in wording, asking “You were about to say something about your brother?”

 

Poe groaned, “My brother made a meme that I shared with some other grad students in the department...”

 

Amilyn nodded and responded, “I will talk with Phasma about how she handled things with Finn, but I need to say some things about your own behavior this semester. As a teaching assistant, not only are you responsible for helping the students with their learning, it is also experience for you as a professional and you are to be setting an example for your students—”

 

Poe interrupted impatiently, “I only shared the picture with a couple of other grads in the program! None of the students saw it, what does this have to do with setting an example?”

 

His advisor retained a calm and resolute expression as she answered, “Please do not interrupt me. If you would have let me finish, I would have explained further. It is important as teaching assistants that you are all consistent with your approach to your students. If you’re not getting along with each other, the students will pick up on that and possibly try to pit one against the other to gain an advantage in the class. Either that, or they will not trust any of the instructors.”

 

Poe scoffed, “You’re going to tell me I’m a bad example when Phasma undermines all of her students and Ben has a reputation about his own behavior?”

 

Amilyn answered firmly, “Phasma and Ben did not steal your students’ tests so they could adjust grades according to their own liking because they don’t trust you. They also have not, to my knowledge, encouraged other graduate students to make fun of you behind your back.”

 

To that, Poe said nothing and simply looked out the window, watching people walk by the building. Amilyn continued speaking, “Quite frankly, there’s no excuse for making fun of other people, period. I hope you’ll apologize to Phasma soon, once you get the opportunity. If you do any of these things again, I will have you reprimanded and bar you from further teaching duties for the remainder of the academic year. Understood?”

 

Poe nodded somberly before looking at Amilyn once again, but without the same intense confidence he had earlier. He responded, “Yes, I understand. It won’t happen again. Is that all?”

 

“Good, and yes, that’s everything. You may go now. I’ll see you soon in class,” Amilyn responded. Poe took the cue and left the office without any further comment. He remained relatively quiet for the rest of the day, chastened by Amilyn’s rebukes and reflecting on them.

 

.........

 

Phasma was the next of the three to meet with Amilyn, on Wednesday morning, in fact. She already regretted agreeing to the early meeting time, especially since the coffee she was drinking still hadn’t made its way to her brain.

 

“Good morning, Dr. Holdo,” she greeted as she entered the office and covered a yawn while pulling up one of the chairs in front of Amilyn’s desk.

 

“Good morning, Phasma. How’s everything going with your students this week?” Holdo responded.

 

“Pretty well. Everyone seems to be keeping up with the class, with the exception of the one I told you about, but he’ll probably drop the class soon,” Phasma said before taking a sip from her coffee mug. When Amilyn offered nothing but a nod in response to her statement, Phasma asked quickly, “Has Poe said anything to you about the tests yet?”

 

Amilyn took a deep breath and explained, “Poe admitted to retaining Finn and Rose’s tests on purpose. Your instincts on the matter were correct, it seems. I made it very clear to him that his behavior would not be tolerated under any circumstances and there would be penalties if he did anything like that again.”

 

“Hm. Thank you for getting to the bottom of this matter,” Phasma answered, feeling extremely vindicated after having to deal with Poe and his antics during the semester.

 

Phasma’s feelings quickly turned to apprehension, though, when Amilyn continued speaking, “However, he also shared some other information with me. Is it true that you had Finn rewrite a paper proposal?”

 

Although her overall composure remained neutral, Phasma frowned slightly in thought, wondering what this had to do with Poe switching out the tests. She replied simply, “Yes. It needed more work.”

 

Amilyn took a moment to choose the right words, not wanting to sound too accusatory. After a moment, she said, “Poe told me something else, too. He thinks you had Finn rewrite the proposal only because you were upset with him for making the meme that went around the department. Is there any truth to Poe’s assumption?”  

 

Phasma retained her calm appearance as she replied, “That wasn’t the only reason, but it certainly made me less inclined to go easy on Finn.”

 

“What were these other reasons and why didn’t you check with me first before giving Finn extra work with revisions?” Amilyn asked bluntly.

 

“I—His topic is on a period of Yoruba history that’s not well documented in the archaeological record, but he insisted that oral accounts could be used as primary sources. I told him to provide documents supporting his claim,” Phasma explained.

 

Amilyn folded her hands on the desk in front of her before replying, “Am I supposed to believe that you’ve made your way to candidacy not knowing the current trends of using oral accounts to supplement archaeological research?”

 

With that, Phasma found herself in a tight corner. After all, she prided herself on keeping on top of all the recent scholarship and being rigorous with her research methods. She knew Amilyn was right in hinting that her reason for requesting Finn’s revisions was barely justified.

 

After a brief period of silence, Phasma spoke up, “I just thought Finn’s paper needed more work. Besides, am I really supposed to let that kind of behavior fly by without any kind of discipline?”

 

Amilyn shook her head and responded firmly, “You should have come to me first before putting an extra workload on Finn for any reason, plain and simple. As a teaching assistant, you are not responsible for determining the workload for any student.”

 

Phasma protested, “If I didn’t do anything, Finn would keep thinking its okay to be disrespectful to others. Are you seriously implying that his behavior should have no consequences?

 

Amilyn replied, “I’d say Finn’s learned his lesson by now, Phasma. Furthermore, being tougher on another student due to perceived personal offenses is considered downright unprofessional.”

 

“Duly noted, Dr. Holdo,” Phasma stated brusquely.

 

Amilyn continued speaking, “Good. Also, I want you to hand over all of his work and tests to me for grading for the remainder of the quarter. If I hear about you taking similar actions against any other student without consulting me first, I will report you, is that understood?”

 

“Yes m’am,” Phasma said, twisting the lid on her coffee mug. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been scolded in this manner by any authority.

 

“Thank you. That’s all I wanted to discuss for today. You may leave now, if there’s nothing else you need to mention,” Amilyn stated. With that said, Phasma picked up her bag quickly and gave Amilyn a polite farewell before briskly exiting the office.

 

..........

 

Ben was the last one to meet with Amilyn, since he had no real free time for a meeting before Thursday afternoon. Unlike Poe and Phasma, he arrived at Amilyn’s office with nervous anticipation, not knowing the outcome of the meeting. He knew that while he had not been directly involved with anything that Poe and Phasma did, he still wondered whether or not Amilyn also had a problem with him for whatever reason. His track record with meeting supervisors was not exactly stellar, after all.

 

After Amilyn exchanged greetings with Ben, she waited until he settled into his seat before speaking up, “I just wanted to know if you have anything to say about how Poe and Phasma have been handling matters with their students, especially as it concerns the midterms?”

 

“Honestly? Not really. Phasma has very high standards for all her students, and I didn’t know Poe had switched out the tests. I haven’t talked with Poe in the past week, so I’m not sure what his reasons for that were,” Ben explained.

 

Amilyn nodded and pursed her lips in thought for a moment before responding, “Can you expand a little more on what you mean by Phasma having high standards?”

 

Ben shrugged, looking nonplussed as he answered, “She always does things by the book, so it’s not like she’s doing anything wrong. She expects her students to follow the rules and conduct codes, too. I mean, I know she has strict attendance policies and expects her students to know the material well. But, she’s always available to answer questions. I’m not sure what this has to do with how she interacts with Finn?”

 

“Poe believes that Phasma has been too harsh on Finn in this year’s section, and he told me that Finn had to drop a previous section with her because of it. I was just wondering if you had heard similar complaints from other students,” Amilyn commented.

 

“Nothing that isn’t said about any of the other TAs, including Poe,” Ben replied, “Does Poe think Phasma has something against Finn personally?”

 

Amilyn realized that Ben looked relatively calm about the entire situation, and she wasn’t sure if he knew the full story behind events. She asked him, “Are you aware of the meme that Poe sent to the other graduate students in the department?”

 

“The one of Phasma wearing a knight costume?   Phasma told me she saw it on another colleague’s computer, but that’s about it,” Ben commented, beginning to frown in concern as he wondered why Amilyn was even bringing up one of Poe’s silly antics, which was nothing new in the department and everyone knew it.

 

“I’ll take it that you don’t know that it was Poe’s brother, Finn, who made it,” Amilyn began to explain. Ben began to speak up once again but she stopped him with a raised hand, “Let me continue first, I was only asking because Phasma knew it was Finn who made it. Poe insisted that Phasma is being harsh on Finn because of this meme, and this is what prompted Poe to switch out the tests. On Phasma’s end, she didn’t quite deny that she took action against Finn because of it. I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this situation or had anything to add on the matter.”

 

Still absorbing the facts of the incident, Ben remained silent for a second before shaking his head, “I didn’t know any of this. I haven’t heard of either of them doing anything like what happened this month, and they both seem to want their students to do well. I’ll say that much. As far as the class Finn dropped, everyone knows Snoke’s class is one of the more challenging ones, and he wouldn’t be the only student to complain about it.”

 

Amilyn sighed and responded, “Thank you, Ben. I’ve already sorted things out with Poe and Phasma, but I just needed to make sure nothing else was going on in terms of their interactions with their students.”

 

“I’m not sure I really clarified anything, but it’s not a problem,” Ben said, feeling a little relieved that Amilyn didn’t seem to have any problems with his role, or lack thereof, in this matter.  

 

Even then, Ben realized that Amilyn seemed to still have something on her mind, telling him that the discussion was possibly not over just yet. Sure enough, she asked, “May I bring up another topic, before ending this meeting? About your advisor, Snoke?”

 

Once Ben gave his assent, she continued speaking, “Today, I received some emails from a group of graduate students in the department, including my students Jessika and Tallie, about Snoke’s treatment of women. The accusations are mostly sexist comments about the place of women in society, but there are instances where he’s made lewd and inappropriate remarks and propositions towards others. Are you aware of any of incidents involving Snoke with other women?”

 

Ben composed his thoughts before speaking, since he knew this issue was going to come up in the department sooner or later ever since the afternoon that Jessika approached him about Snoke.   Ben replied, “I thought everyone knew about Snoke’s outdated views on women. Phasma’s always been consistent in calling out Snoke’s attitudes, but she’s never been the target of any sexual harassment from him. Otherwise, she would have left by now. I only knew about the other accusations when your students told me.”

 

Amilyn said, “Well, Tallie did note catching Phasma challenging Snoke one time about one of his views, but none of these accusations involve any of his graduate students. It would seem that he doesn’t dip his pen in the company ink.”

 

When she paused for a second, Ben spoke up quickly, “Jessika did ask me if I was interested in contributing, but not about the sexual stuff. She caught Snoke yelling at me in the lab and said I should out him for verbal abuse on top of this.”

 

The older woman sighed before responding, “I have to admit... This doesn’t come as a shock to me considering that your dissertation progress has been delayed longer than average. I’m already aware from progress reports that you’ve changed course entirely on your dissertation multiple times. I’ve heard rumors from former students about his treatment of them.”

 

“I’ll be finished soon, anyway. It doesn’t make any difference,” Ben remarked, not really believing his own words.

 

“It might make a difference for his future students, or at least the ones who are earlier in their studies than you or Phasma,” Amilyn pointed out to him.

 

“And if I speak up, he’ll probably find a way for me to just not graduate, period,” Ben huffed.

 

She answered, “I know this wasn’t your first program, Ben. You know I’m good friends with your mother. It’s become very clear to me while you’ve been here that you’re a hard worker and serious about your studies. I may not be in your specialty, but if Snoke continues to cause delays that hinder completion, please don’t hesitate to come talk with me. I’d be willing to work with you and the department if these roadblocks continue, okay?”

 

With a slight scowl, he replied, “Thank you, but everything will be fine. Is there anything else you need to talk about?”  

 

“No, there isn’t. Please do keep in mind that the accusations against Snoke are very serious as they stand, and it’s likely some form of action will be taken soon on this matter. Thank you for coming in today. See you on Saturday and have a nice afternoon,” Amilyn said.

 

After Ben left the office, he opted to call it a day and leave campus rather than returning to the lab or going to the library. The meeting wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, although he was caught off guard with Amilyn’s update on the report about Snoke. He primarily stuck around with Snoke, in spite of the yelling, demands, and manipulations, because he didn’t think he had any other option if he wanted any shot at being a professor one day. He was surprised at Amilyn’s remarks, since he assumed that most of the professors wanted nothing to do with him and believed the department would be better off without him.

 

Maybe it was time for him to reconsider whether he should assist Jessika and the others with their report, and maybe even bring Phasma into it. Phasma worked just as much with the other professors on her committee as she did Snoke, and she could easily be persuaded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  Note: As always, thank you for all the feedback and follows! Also, extra thanks to the fellow Reylos in the Writing Den for their encouragement and feedback! This chapter ended up being way longer than expected, so there are about two or three more chapters after this now. Feel free to leave comments or questions! Have a nice weekend.


	14. Epilogue

**_Epilogue:_ **

****

**_Two Months Later_ **

......

       

Ben quirked his eyebrows as he stepped outside into the light drizzle and looked up at the unusually gray skies.  It rarely rained in southern California, and he didn’t bother to check the weather. Then again, he actually enjoyed these rainy days. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have an umbrella.  He’d dry off as soon as he got home.   

 

He was one of the few that got tired of it being so bright outside every day, and the sunny skies were more often than not hazy with smog.  The cloudy skies gave his eyes a break, and they skies were actually clean and fresh after a storm.  It also put him in the mood to go home with a nice cup of coffee and a book...

 

Maybe Rey could join him under the blankets...?  He got out his phone and texted Rey as he began his walk back to her department building. When he caught up with Rey, he saw her waiting outside the building with a giant blue umbrella. 

 

Rey scowled slightly at the sight of Ben strolling down the hill with his hands shoved in the pockets of his black hoodie, without an umbrella or raincoat.  She called out to him as she walked towards him. 

 

“Hey Ben!  Didn’t you check the weather?  You’re going to get soaked.  Do you want to share the umbrella with me?” 

 

“It’s not raining that much. I’ll be fine.”  Ben shrugged. 

 

Rey chuckled at her boyfriend’s attitude before stretching out a hand outwards to confirm whether the rain was getting heavier or not.  “Okay, it’s not _that_ heavy yet, but you’re going get sick!” 

 

Once they caught up with each other, Ben slightly pushed the umbrella out of the way and leaned down to kiss Rey on her forehead.  Rey seized the chance to grab him by the waist and lifted her umbrella to cover them both.  “You can share this with me.” 

 

“I barely fit under this, Rey.  I’ll be fine. I promise.”  Ben responded as he pushed the umbrella further over Rey’s head.

 

Rey kept her grip on Ben’s waist and pushed the umbrella back as they began walking towards Maz’s Beanery. “Don’t be ridiculous.  So, how did it go with the board?” 

 

The crosswalk light changed to white, so he waited until they finished crossing the diagonal to begin responding.  “Better than expected.  They forced Snoke to resign pretty quickly, since the evidence was pretty damning. None of us who had him for an advisor need to restart any processes, as we’ve all been able to find people who can accommodate and work with us.  And, on top of that, Holdo says what I have with the dissertation is pretty much good to go, and I just have the conclusion to write now.” 

 

Rey paused and dropped the umbrella, ignoring the increasingly heavy rain, to give him a hug. “That’s great!  Finally!  Now you can move on with the rest of your life.” 

 

“Looks like it.  And now you don’t mind getting wet in the rain?” Ben grinned, prompting Rey to shake her umbrella at him to get him more wet before covering them both up again.

 

Once they reached the cafe, they looked for Rey’s brothers and Rose, who were seated at a round table with mismatched chairs.  Rose happily waved the couple over, followed by Finn and Poe greeting them.  Poe visibly placed BB-Ate on the empty chair next to him just before Ben could claim the seat.

 

“Really, Poe?  Does the dog need her own chair?”  Ben commented as he grabbed another chair and sat down next to Rey.

 

“Yes, she does.  She’s getting a pup muffin too.”  Poe insisted seriously, although Ben knew that Poe was only just now starting to accept the idea of him dating his sister.  Hence, Poe did not want to be directly next to him. Well, at least he wasn’t trying to start an argument today.   That was progress. 

 

“Rey, we’ve already ordered muffins for the whole table... Ones for humans, don’t worry... Also, guess what!”  Rose chimed in. 

 

“You’re pregnant, and you and Finn are eloping and going backpacking around the world?  Rey replied. 

 

Finn snorted before speaking. “Not that.  We got our grades from Phasma... We both got A’s on our papers after all, after all that mess!” 

 

“Well, that’s a relief! Especially since Ben told me he invited Hux and Phasma over...”  Rey replied just as everyone’s pastries arrived at the table. 

 

“Just because they’re your boyfriend’s friends doesn’t make it any less awkward for us.”  Finn stated. 

 

A few seconds later, BB-8 attempted to climb on the table as Maz put out the food, prompting Poe to pull the fat corgi down, which caused him to fall backwards right into Ben’s lap. 

 

As luck would have it, Hux and Phasma walked in at the same time, having been texted by Rey and invited to the impromptu end of the semester meetup, and witnessed the pile up on the floor. 

Hux grinned and commented drily.  “I always knew you and Poe were meant for each other, but try to keep it to your bedroom, would you?” 

 

“Well, if I must reveal my true feelings here, I should admit that you’re more my type than Ben is, Hux.  Too bad you’re not single.”  Poe replied as he got up and winked at the redhead, causing Phasma to glare at him. 

 

“Whatever happened to Kaydel, anyway, Poe?”  Rose asked, breaking the awkward silence that passed as Hux and Phasma took their places while Ben and Poe resettled into their chairs. 

 

“My Mom said she showed up with Poe at the holiday fundraiser she hosted last weekend...  So I guess they’re still dating?”  Ben replied nonchalantly just before taking a bite from his pastry. 

 

Rey took a piece off her muffin and tossed it at Poe’s head.  Poe exclaimed in surprise, “What was that for?!” 

 

His sister raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head with a grin.  “Pretty hypocritical of you to still be mad at Ben when you didn’t tell your favorite siblings that you were still dating the same person all this time.” 

 

Rose joined in on the teasing. “Yeah, that’s right.  Now you can’t get out of bringing Kaydel to Christmas dinner this year, since Ben and I were forced to go with Rey and Finn this time.” 

 

Poe groaned as the rest of the table continued to tease him, and the mood grew considerably lighter as the afternoon passed, reflecting the growing camaraderie between all parties, who all left behind their old grudges with the end of the semester.

 

.....

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I marked all the fics as complete, as I won’t be continuing them... However... I’m making an exception for this one.  I originally planned to have two chapters, but I wrote this little excerpt a few weeks ago... It works well with the epilogue I had planned, so it’s short, a little cheesy perhaps as it’s unedited, but it’s an ending!  Hope it doesn’t disappoint too much!  Thank you all for reading and for your feedback this year! 


End file.
